At least six people have been confirmed dead in the accident that occurred in the Karu area of Abuja on Wednesday night.
It was reported how the accident left hundreds of people stranded in the city centre of the Nigerian capital. The accident led to a roadblock and vehicles were seen burning on the road. Most of the stranded people lived in the area where the accident occurred and were left stranded for several hours.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has now confirmed that six people died and 25 others were injured in the accident. Four of the dead people were burnt beyond recognition, the agency said.
The road safety agency said the accident involved multiple vehicles and occurred under the Karu Bridge.
The Corps Public Education Officer of the FRSC, Olusegun Ogungbemide, said the crash involved 18 vehicles, including two articulated vehicles, two buses, one SUV and 11 cars.
Mr Ogungbemide said that the vehicles were severely damaged, with some of them engulfed in flames.
He said that the emergency responders, including the FRSC, Red Cross, Fire Service, and military quickly arrived at the scene to provide assistance.
The FRSC spokesperson attributed the cause of the crash to brake failure which led to a chain reaction of collisions involving the 18 vehicles.
“The crash occurred at approximately 6:58 pm, with the FRSC receiving the report at 7:03 pm. More than 35 people were involved.
“The crash resulted into a tragic multiple-vehicle crash, resulting in the loss of six lives and leaving 25 others injured.
”Out of the six lives lost, four were burnt beyond recognition.
“The injured victims were rushed to nearby hospitals for medical attention, while the dead were taken to the mortuary,” he said.
Mr Ogungbemide said that the Sector Commander in the FCT, Chorrie Muta’a, the Unit Commander in charge of Nyanya and Karu, and other senior officials of the FRSC were present at the scene to coordinate the rescue efforts.
He added that the Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Shehu Mohammed, also visited the scene to assess the level of damage and commiserate with the victims and their families.
Mr Ogungbemide urged drivers to ensure that their vehicles were in good condition before embarking on any journey, emphasising the importance of regular maintenance and safety checks.
“The FRSC has been working tirelessly to reduce road crashes through aggressive sensitisation of passengers and enforcement of traffic laws.
“The Corps has also been collaborating with other agencies to promote road safety awareness and prevent such tragic incidents from occurring in the future,” he said.
Another agency, the FCT Fire Service (FFS), said that the accident was caused by brake failure on the part of a truck conveying Compressed Natural Gas canisters.
The FCT FFS Public Relations Officer, Ibrahim Mohammad, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, said the truck, which was headed toward Nyanya axis from AYA, lost control and in the process rammed into several vehicles on the route.
“The impact led to fire which resulted in casualties,” he said.
Mr Mohammed said he could not ascertain the casualties as of the time of the interview.
“Some vehicles that were burnt to ashes have to be thoroughly investigated to ascertain whether people are trapped inside them and that is why the search is still ongoing even with searchlights as we speak,” he said.
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