13 die in Kwara road mishap

Thirteen persons have been reported dead in two separate motor accidents along Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa highway in the Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State yesterday.

Our correspondent gathered that eight survivors of the accident are receiving treatment at a private hospital in Bode Saadu, a community in the local government area of the state, while remains of the dead passengers had been deposited at the mortuary of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin.

Two 18-passenger Hiace buses enroute Lagos and Sokoto states were said to be involved in the accident which claimed 13 lives.

It was gathered that the one coming from Lagos rammed into a stationary trailer, while the second bus veered off the road on its way from the northern part of the country, due to the impact of the crash.

While confirming the incident, sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Gbenga Owoade, attributed the accident to carelessness on the part of the drivers.

“Eleven people died instantly on the spot in the first accident. Two persons died in the second crash, while one of the two corpses had been taken away by family members.

"Every hand has to be on board to appreciate the fact that lives cannot be retrieved," he said.

Records from the FRSC in the state showed that a total of 136 people have died along the Ilorin-JebbaMokwa highway between January and September this year, while 535 persons sustained varying degrees of injuries in 1,187 road traffic crashes.