BY LINUS CHIBUIKE
SEVENTEEN travellers have been killed in a ghastly accident in Akwanga Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, the Federal Road Safety Corps has said.
The incident, which occurred on Saturday night around Ahead Town, between Akwanga and Gudi Towns, left the 17 victims burnt “beyond recognition”, the FRSC disclosed.
The Corp Unit Commander in Akwanga, Assistant Corps Commander Ebere Onyegbaduo, who confirmed the incident, said a preliminary investigation showed that the Sharon Bus involved in the accident was coming from Abuja.
“He was overtaking on a hill and at a bend; he ran into the Sienna and the vehicles went up in flames and led to the death of 17 people beyond recognition,” he said.
Onyegbaduo said, “We received a distress call of a ghastly accident by 7 pm around Ahead Town, it is between Akwanga and Gudi Towns.
“We rushed to the scene and found a Commercial VW Sharon Bus and a Private Toyota Sienna Bus engulfed in flames with the occupants inside the burning vehicles.
”We called for Fire Brigade, the fire was contained by 11 pm and we completed the rescue by 2 am.”
The FRSC said the occupants of the Sharon Bus had been deposited at the Akwanga General Hospital, adding that those of the Sienna bus had been taken to the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, in Lafia.
Occupants of the Sienna bus were identified as one Prince Nuhu Hamman Gabdo, his wife and children, who were said to be returning to Abuja after a visit to the man’s town in Gashaka, Mambilla plateau of Sardauna Local Government Area of Taraba state.
Gabdo was a staff of Nigeria Communication Commission in Abuja, who held the traditional title of Ubandoma of Gashaka Chiefdom, it was learnt.
