TheCable

Eighteen persons were killed on Saturday in an accident involving a tipper and a J5 bus on Gumel-Gugunju road in Gumel local government area of Jigawa state.

Angus Ibezim, the sector commander of the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) in the state, confirmed this to NAN in Dutse, the state capital.

Ibezim said the driver of the bus had hit the truck with reg. no. XY 744 GRK, which was abandoned on the road after it had broken down.

He said the collision resulted in the mishap in which 15 of the occupants of the vehicle, including the driver, died on the spot.

He added that three others passengers sustained injuries but later died in hospital.

“We are now trying to find out the main cause of the accident,” he said.

“The first thing we suspect is that the driver of the tipper did not place any caution sign to indicate that the vehicle was faulty.

“Secondly, we also suspect that the driver of the J5 bus was speeding or has bad or no headlights at all.”

He said the corps had already removed the truck from the road even as it has launched a manhunt to apprehend the driver of the tipper who’s now at large.

“The driver will surely be prosecuted,” he also said.

Ibezim further advised motorists to desist from speeding no matter the circumstances.