FRSC Explains How 19 Travellers Burnt Beyond Recognition In Abuja Accident

The Acting Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Dauda Ali Biu, has urged road users to avoid excessive speed and night travel to avoid fatal crashes.

Biu was reacting to a road crash that claimed the lives of 19 out of 31 passengers in the early hours of Sunday along the Yangoji-Gwagwalada road, near the National Agricultural Seeds Council, Abuja.

The FRSC spokesperson, Bisi Kazeem, in a statement on Sunday, said a report of investigation forwarded by the Corps’ rescue team showed that the unfortunate incident involved 2 Toyota Hiace Busses with registration numbers MUB- 30 LG, DWR-985XJ and a Citroen Trailer.

Kazeem said the investigation further revealed that the main causes of the crash involving the 3 vehicles were speed limit violation and wrongful overtaking which eventually resulted in loss of control.

The 31 people involved were 11 male occupants, 1 female, and 19 others whose sexuality could not be ascertained as at the time of carrying out the rescue due largely to the intensity of the fire that burnt them.

Out of the 31 victims, he noted that 8 of them comprising 7 males and 1 female sustained various degrees of injuries, while 19 others were burnt beyond recognition.

According to the report, the Toyota Hiace Bus with REG NO: MUB- 30 LG, which was on a high speed crashed into a Citroen trailer on motion and immediately went into flames.

The second bus crashed into the other Bus from behind and caught fire.

“One of the Busses was said to have transited all the way from Takai, Kano State heading to Benin, Edo State. While the Citroen Trailer loaded with chicken feed from Zaria, Kaduna State was on its way to deliver the commodities in Akwa Ibom State.

“The rescue operations was jointly carried out by the combined teams of Zebra 6 Yangoji and patrol teams of the Nigeria Police Force,” the statement noted.

It added that the injured victims were rescued and taken to Rhema hospital Kwali, while one of the identified male corpses was deposited at Kwali General Hospital Mortuary.

However, the 19 corpses burnt beyond recognition which were trapped in the vehicle have been extricated by rescue operatives of zebra 6 Yangoji, the statement added.

According to Kazeem, Biu advised road users to avoid wrongful overtaking and other bad driving behaviours.

The FRSC boss also urged commuters to plan their trips to fall within day time and avoid night trips due to the hazards associated with dark hours.

He also re-emphasised that the Corps will step up both sensitisation of the motoring public and enhance its patrol activities to deter traffic violators.

He admonished the public to always make use of the FRSC toll free line 122 and the National Traffic Radio 107.1 FM which are always available for all road users to report emergencies at any given time.