TheCable

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), on Tuesday, confirmed 15 persons dead and five others injured in an auto crash that occurred in Kogi state.

According to NAN, the crash followed a collision between a J-5 Boxer bus and a petrol tanker at Koton-Karfe, along the Lokoja-Abuja highway on Tuesday morning.

Stephen Dawulung, FRSC sector commander in Kogi, who confirmed the incident, said that the injured persons were taken to Ideal Hospital at Koton-Karfe for medical attention.

Dawulung said that the corpses of the victims have been deposited at the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Lokoja, the Kogi capital.

Speaking on the incident, the sector commander said the bus was driving against traffic and rammed into the petrol tanker.

“The bus driver left his lane and was driving in the opposite direction on high speed, only to have a head-on collision with an oncoming petroleum tanker,” he said.

“Thank God the tanker, which was laden with petroleum product, did not go up in flames, which could have been more devastating and worrisome.

“The unfortunate thing is that the bus was conveying iron cramps with 17 passengers, 15 of who were terribly squeezed and choked to death during the collision.

“It’s sad the prevalent abuse of traffic rules and regulations by motorists and commuters. Vehicles meant for goods should strictly carry only goods and not passengers, as in this unfortunate case.”

He, however, commiserated with the families of the victims and advised motorists to always adhere to traffic rules and regulations.