Scores of travellers have lost their lives in a ghastly road crash along the Kauran Wali axis of Zaria-Kano Highway.
It was gathered that the fatal crash which occurred in the afternoon of Saturday 5th June 2021 involved a Hummer Bus belonging to Kano Line (KN90H42) and a private Toyota Rav4 SUV (ABC550NV).
Daily Trust gathered that the bus was Kano-bound while the SUV was headed for Zaria, Kaduna State.
According to an eyewitness, the crash was a head-on collision between the two vehicles, resulting from dangerous driving and overtaking along a diversion point on the highway.
Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan who confirmed the accident in a statement issued said over 20 persons were involved in the crash.
“10 persons died on the spot and others died later at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Shika. Those injured remain in the hospital,” he said.
It was gathered that officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) were at the scene of the accidents and assisted in evacuating the dead and the injured.
El-Rufai mourns
Aruwan said Governor Nasir El-Rufai received the reports with sadness and prayed for the repose of the souls of those who lost their lives, while sending condolences to their families.
He wished the injured a quick recovery as he thanked officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps who responded swiftly after the crash to evacuate the injured and clear the obstructions.
He appealed to drivers to maintain caution and observe speed limits on all roads to avoid such tragic occurrences.
7 buried in Kano
Meanwhile, the remains of seven young men from Sani Mai Nagge in Gwale Local Government Area of Kano State who were among 17 people that died in a motor accident on Saturday were buried yesterday in Kano.
Daily Trust reports that the 17 persons were said to have died on Saturday in a Kano Line bus on their way from Zaria to Kano after attending a friend’s wedding.
The funeral prayer was conducted around 8.30 am at Unguwar Gwale burial ground.
The Ward Head of Sani Mai Nagge, Alhaji Aliyu Muhammad Nababa, expressed sadness over the incident but prayed to God to forgive the dead.
He told journalists that eight among those who died were from Sani Mai Nagge.
Meanwhile, Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, in a statement on Sunday expressed shock over the death of the 17 people and sent condolences to their families.
“Their death has shocked us. This is a great loss not only to their families or the people of Sani Mai Nagge of Gwale Local Government where they came from but to all of us, the government and the people of Kano State,” he said.
2 die in Bauch
In a similar incident, a fatal road accident involving two vehicles at Zangoro Village along Bauchi-Maiduguri road has claimed two lives.
The Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Bauchi State, Yusuf Abdullahi, who confirmed the accident to newsmen at the weekend, said two people sustained various degrees of injuries while two others escaped unhurt.
Abdullahi said the crash occurred Friday, June 4, 2021, around 2pm when a Peugeot 406 with registration number TRN-36SL and a DAF truck also with registration number PKM-77-XA collided.
He said the crash was caused by dangerous driving.
“When we received a call about the crash, our men rushed to the scene and evacuated the victims to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi.
“It was there that a medical doctor confirmed two of them dead.
“The two injured persons are responding to treatment,” he said.
He said the corpses of the deceased were deposited at the mortuary after which they would be released to their families for burial.
From Mohammed I.Yaba (Kaduna), Zahraddeen Yakubu Shuaibu (Kano) & Hassan Ibrahim (Bauchi)
