Nine Burnt Beyond Recognition In Bauchi Road Crash

No fewer than nine people have died, while eight others were injured in a fatal road crash along the Bauchi–Maiduguri Federal Highway.

The accident occurred late Monday night near Zangoro village in Bauchi State and involved a Toyota commercial bus and a MAN diesel tipper truck travelling in opposite directions.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Bauchi Sector Command, confirmed the incident in a First Information Report issued on Tuesday.

According to the report, the crash happened at about 11:20 p.m. on Monday and was reported to the FRSC five minutes later. Rescue officials arrived at the scene by 11:40 p.m., with a response time of 15 minutes.

The Toyota commercial bus, bearing registration number DRZ133LG, was transporting passengers, while the tipper truck, which had no registration number, was carrying sand.

The FRSC said all 17 people involved in the accident were adult men.

Nine of the victims died and were burnt beyond recognition, while the remaining eight sustained varying degrees of injuries.

The corps attributed the accident to a tyre burst while the vehicles were in motion.

The injured victims were taken to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital in Bauchi for treatment, while the bodies of the deceased were deposited in the hospital mortuary.

The FRSC added that the damaged vehicles and other recovered property had been handed over to the Motor Traffic Division of the Bauchi State Police Command for further investigation.

The rescue operation was led by the Sector Rescue and Maintenance Area Officer in Toro.