13 die in Kwara accident

The capital of Kwara State, Illorin has witnessed two separate motor accidents that have caused the death of no fewer than 13 persons.

The Nations said that the unfortunate accidents occured in the early hours of Thursday along Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa highway, Moro local government of Kwara state.

It was gathered that eight survivors of the accident are receiving treatment in a private hospital in Bode Saadu community in the same local government area.

The remains of the dead passengers have been deposited at the mortuary of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) Ilorin, according to The Nations.

The accident involved an 18-passenger hi-ace buses enroute Lagos and Sokoto states.

It was gathered the vehicle coming from Lagos rammed into already stationary trailer while the second bus veered off the road on its way from the north due to impact of the accident.

Sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Gbenga Owoade, attributed the road crashes to carelessness on the part of the drivers, The Nations said.

“In the first one, we had 11 people that died instantly on the spot. Two persons died in the second crash, while one of the two corpses had been taken away by its family members.

“Every hand has to be on board to appreciate the fact that lives cannot be retrieved. Once live is gone it’s too expensive”, he said.

Owoade cautioned drivers to avoid night journey, overloading and taking of intoxicating substances while driving.

He said: “Records from the FRSC in the state showed that a total of 136 people have died along Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa highway between January and September this year, while 535 persons sustained varying degrees of injury in 1,187 road traffic crashes.”