11 burnt to death as bus catches fire on Abuja-Lokoja road

Tragedy struck early this week when a commercial bus caught fire and killed 11 passengers at Piri village, on the Abuja-Lokoja expressway.

Our reporter learnt that eight others that sustained various degrees of burns were rescued by men of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and taken to University of Abuja Teaching Hospital at Gwagwalada.

A witness said the incident happened around 4:30 a.m. after the driver of the commuter bus with registration number KMT 495 XC lost control and crashed into a ditch.

He said the bus, with 18 passengers, caught fire instantly after hitting a concrete and that 11 of the passengers were trapped and burnt beyond recognition.

“A security man guarding a health center very close to the highway and some farmers who were on their way to the farm tried to rescue some of them before the arrival of the FRSC officials,’’ the witness said.

Reacting, Yangoji unit commander of the FRSC, Assistant Corps Commander Jeremiah M.Fada, confirmed the accident, which he attributed to loss of control and speed limit violation.

He said 19 passengers including the driver were on board and that 11 passengers, all male were burnt beyond recognition and had been given mass burial through the combined efforts of the police and some relatives of the deceased.

The FRSC commander further disclosed that three persons were also injured in another accident which occurred yesterday morning at Sabon-Gari village, on the same expressway.

According to him, the accident happened around 8:12 a.m. when the driver of an unmarked Honda car lost control and crashed into a ditch.

He said the three injured victims were taken to Kwali General Hospital.