Fatal Auto Crash Claims 19 in Plateau

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

No fewer than 19 persons have died in a fatal motor accident at Hawan Kibo, a community on the outskirt of Jos, along Abuja-Jos highway in Riyom Local Government Council in Plateau State.

The accident involving a lone bus traveling from Adamawa to Abuja killed all the 19 passengers on board.

Confirming the incident, state command spokesman of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Peter Yakubu said: “No one survived; everyone in the vehicle perished.”

Yakubu said: “The sole person that didn’t die on the spot was rushed to the hospital but later succumbed to death; 18 died at the scene.”

 A staff of Riyom Trauma Hospital said that the victims’ corpses were brought to the hospital. “All victims brought to us had already died. Some bodies were unidentifiable due to severe mutilation. As I speak, all corpses have been transferred to a Jos mortuary due to power outage in Riyom Local Government Council.”

He said that the vehicle involved was traveling from Adamawa State to Abuja when the accident occurred.

Hawan Kibo has remained a death trap along Abuja-Jos highway for many years, with hundreds of lives lost in recurring accidents due to bad roads in the area. The area is also a hot bed for robbery due to the bad terrain.