AfriPulse
At least six passengers have been confirmed dead, while twelve others sustained injuries in a fatal road accident along the Makurdi–Otukpo highway.
The crash involved an 18-seater bus belonging to Benue Links Nigeria Limited and a truck allegedly owned by China Harbour Engineering Company.
Witnesses said the accident occurred on Friday at about 4pm near the moribund Benue Burnt Bricks factory, close to Otukpo township.
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The witnesses said the ill-fated bus was conveying passengers from Makurdi to Otukpo and had almost reached its destination when the crash occurred, less than three kilometres from Otukpo town.
Bandits Kill One, Abduct Five in Fresh Attack on Sokoto Community Hardship: How FCT women are converting their private cars to commercial use They disclosed that five passengers died instantly at the scene of the accident, while another victim later succumbed to injuries at the Federal University of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital Otukpo, where the injured were rushed for medical attention.
“It is unfortunate that the passengers were already in Otukpo and heading into town when the truck ran into the bus on the dusty road due to the ongoing construction work (dualisation of Makurdi-Enugu road).
“There was poor visibility because of the dust. The driver of the truck probably did not see the bus approaching and rammed into it. Five passengers died on the spot while another later died at the hospital,” one witness added.
The witnesses said some of the 12 surviving passengers, including a seven-month-old infant, sustained various injuries.
A witness also said that a similar accident occured on February 28 at Ahumbe village along the same route where four corpses littered the road before evacuation.
The witness said four people were injured in the incident after a passenger vehicle, not belonging to Benue Links, had a head-on collision with a truck owned by China Harbour Engineering Construction Company.
Confirming the latest incident, the Public Relations Officer of Benue Links Nigeria Limited, Johnson Ehi, said the company had taken responsibility for the treatment of the injured passengers.
“The casualty figure is six – five males and one female. The bus was an 18-seater travelling from Makurdi to Otukpo when the truck ran into it.
“The remaining 12 passengers are responding to treatment. The company (Benue Links) has taken over their medical bills at the Federal University of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital, Otukpo,” he said.
Efforts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer of the Benue State Police Command, DSP Udeme Edet, for comments were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
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Source: DailyTrust | Read the Full Story…
