Fatal accident claims over 20 lives in Kogi

TRAGEDY struck on Monday morning when a fatal accident claimed more than 20 persons lives. Twenty-two cows were also killed in the accident along Abuja-Lokoja-Okene.

An eyewitness who spoke to The Guardian said the accident was caused by a road- block mounted by armed robbers along the Irepeni axis of the highway.

The witness indicated that a luxury bus with Registration Number KRD 799 LC, which was coming from Lagos and heading to Abuja suddenly rammed into the road block mounted by the men of the underworld as the bus was trying to manoeuvre its way, a trailer truck with Registration Number KTN 711 YZ loaded with dozens of cows suddenly rammed into the bus, killing several people on the spot.

The impact of the accident chopped off the front row of the trailer while the seventh row of the luxury bus was grimly compacted with most of the passengers that were seated on the front line, killed including the driver of the luxury bus.

Several mangled bodies were being conveyed into vehicles by men of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

About six bodies of the affected passengers had their heads completely severed, as FRSC officers, the Police and sympathisers all combined to gather some severed human parts into nylon bags, which were conveyed along with the corpses to the mortuary.

Also, about 22 dead cows were counted at the scene of the accident while the surviving ones were scattered around the vicinity.

One of the victims identified as Chinyere, who was wailing, said she lost her husband who they had just wedded.

The Sector Commander of the FRSC confirmed the accident, but declined to give the figure of casualties.‎