Tears as 13 killed in Plateau, Kogi brake-failure crashes

No fewer than 10 persons have been confirmed dead in a road accident around Zakalio-Babale community in the Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.

It was gathered that the accident, which happened on Wednesday, involved an articulated truck and several other vehicles.

An eyewitness, who asked not to be identified for security reasons, said the truck, which was loaded with POP cement materials, was heading for Bauchi State from Jos when it crashed.

He said, “Immediately the accident happened, there was serious shouting in the community.  What I can tell you is that I saw a lot of people dead and many injured. The victims were in pain and there was a lot of blood. We managed to work with the road safety people who came around.”

The Plateau State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Alphonsus Godwin, confirmed the accident.

According to him, those who were injured were rushed to a hospital, while the dead were taken to a morgue.

He said, “Six vehicles, including a trailer and tricycles, were involved in the crash. From what I was told, the trailer had a problem with its shafts, resulting in a brake failure. It eventually ran into several other vehicles in its front.

“Unfortunately, nine persons died and 15 others sustained injuries when the accident occurred last night (Wednesday). But this morning (Thursday), one of the injured persons also died. All the injured persons have been taken to the Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Jos, while those who died were taken to Toro General Hospital.”

In a related development, the FRSC in Kogi confirmed the death of three persons after an articulated truck rammed into a stationary bus.

The crash occurred at Ogudar village, along Okene-Auchi Road.

The Kogi State Sector Commander, FRSC, Stephen Dawulung, in a statement on Thursday, said the corpses of the three occupants of the bus were deposited in a morgue of the Okengwen General Hospital, Okene.

The commander described the incident as sad and unfortunate.

“The Nissan Sunny Sedan bus was parked behind a truck at a military checkpoint when another truck lost control and rammed into the bus, squeezing it in-between.

“Investigation showed that the brake of the truck failed, resulting in it smashing into the bus from the rear and leading to the death of three people, all males, while two others, however, were rescued unhurt.

“In other words, the truck was believed to be mechanically deficient, leading to its loss of control and the crash,” he stated.