Nineteen persons have been confirmed dead in an accident along the Yangoji-Gwagwalada road, in the federal capital territory (FCT), Abuja.
The accident was said to have occurred in the early hours of Sunday.
The Acting Corps Marshall, Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr. Dauda Biu confirmed the development at the scene of the accident.
He explained that the crash involved three vehicles; two Toyota Hiace buses and an articulated vehicle.
“Out of the 31 victims, eight persons comprising seven males and one female sustained various degrees of injuries, while 19 others were burnt beyond recognition,” he said.
“Investigation showed that the main causes of the crash were speed limit violation and wrongful overtaking, which eventually resulted in loss of control.
“The Toyota Hiace bus, with registration number MUB- 30 LG, crashed into the Citroen articulated vehicle and burst into flames, killing everyone on board.
“The second bus hit the first bus from behind and also caught fire. The fire melted the second bus with Bauchi State number plate. It was coming from Takai, Kano State, while heading to Benin.
“The Citroen vehicle loaded chicken feed from Zaria, in Kaduna State, and was heading to Akwa Ibom.
“The nineteen corpses were trapped but extricated by rescue operatives,” he added.
The police, he said, have taken over investigation and met with relevant authorities to accord mass burial for 18 of the victims.
He stated that the bodies could not be preserved for identification as they were “burnt beyond recognition.”
“Clearing obstructions for free flow of traffic is ongoing as you can see and we will do our best to ensure we have a crash-free society,” he said.
The injured victims were evacuated to nearby Kwali for medical attention, while an identified male corpse was deposited at the mortuary of Kwali General Hospital.
The Corps Marshall cautioned road users to always avoid excessive speeding, wrongful overtaking and such other bad driving behaviours that lead to avoidable carnages on our roads.
He further urged commuters to always plan their journeys to fall within the daytime and avoid night travels, because of the hazards associated with dark hours.
Earlier this month, nine people were killed, while 10 others sustained injuries, in an accident that occurred along the Yangoji-Abaji road in the FCT.
