TheCable

Fourteen people have died in an auto crash on the Benin-Okene Highway in Edo State.

According to an eyewitness, Mr. Ben Omoede, the incident occurred when a 15-seater Toyota Hiace bus coming from Abuja ran into an articulated vehicle around a slope in Ewu, Esan Central Local Government Area of the state.

He stated that the brakes of the articulated vehicle failed, and that all passengers on board died.

“The truck lost brake and ran over the Toyota bus coming from the opposite side, killed the 13 passengers and the driver,’’ he told NAN.

Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Red Cross evacuated the corpses to Irrua Specialist Hospital in Edo.

The tragedy was also confirmed by Mr Mike Odiahi, the chairman of Edo Central branch of the Nigeria Red Cross Society, who was at the scene.

“Fourteen dead bodies have been recovered and they have been taken to the mortuary at Irrua Specialist Hospital,’’ he said, lamenting frequent accidents around the Ewu slope, and advising road safety officials to ensure regular patrol in the area to prevent further accidents.