By Attah Ede
At least 16 persons have been confirmed dead following a fatal road accident that occurred on Friday, along the Lokoja-Okene Highway in Kogi State.
It was gathered that the incidence happened at Aku village near Osara on Friday morning at about 9:20am.
The Kogi State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lawal Fagge confirmed the sad occurrence.
Fagge, who confirmed the incident on the telephone, said the accident involved a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number BUU 17 ZD travelling from Jos, Plateau State, to Lagos.
According to him, the ill-fated vehicle was conveying 22 passengers made up of 21 males and one female.
The FRSC commander explained that the accident was caused by fatigue and excessive speed, which made the driver lose control and the bus veered off the road and plunged under a bridge.
He said 16 occupants of the bus, including 15 men and the only female passenger, died on the spot.
Officials of the FRSC in Kogi State were said to have swiftly responded to a distress call and rescued six passengers who sustained varying degrees of injuries.
The injured victims were reportedly taken to nearby health facilities in Osara and the Specialist Hospital, Lokoja, for medical attention, while the bodies of the deceased were deposited at the Ankuri Mortuary in Lokoja.
The FRSC command urged motorists and other road users to obey traffic regulations and avoid speeding and fatigue while travelling to prevent avoidable loss of lives on the highways.
