By Sabiu Abdullahi
At least 20 people have died in a fatal road accident at Hawan Kibo community in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The crash occurred at about 5pm on Friday along the Hawan Kibo bend, a section of the road known for frequent accidents, according to eyewitnesses.
The Plateau State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Corps Commander Adelaja Ogungbemi, confirmed the death toll in a telephone interview with The PUNCH in Jos.
He said, “Yes it is true. There was an accident this evening at the Hawan Kibo area in Riyom LGA of Plateau state. Our Officers are right there at the scene on rescue Operation.
” It was a terrible accident. They have evacuated many injured persons to the hospital and others are still being taken to the hospital right now. At the moment, I can confirm to you that 20 people have been confirmed dead from the accident ”
Ogungbemi attributed the crash to brake failure and urged motorists to ensure their vehicles are in good condition before embarking on journeys.
“It was a brake failure. We will continue to advice that motorists should always check their vehicles before driving. And they should drive carefully especially when negotiating a bend,” he added.
An eyewitness, Moses Gyang, who arrived at the scene shortly after the incident, described the crash as severe.
“I was close by when it happened around 5pm. The vehicle lost control while descending the hill. It was a terrible sight, people were shouting for help,” the eyewitness said.
Another witness said the number of people who gathered at the scene made the rescue operation more difficult.
“We have never seen such an accident here in recent times. Many people were lying on the ground. FRSC officers came quickly and started carrying the injured to the hospital, but many had already died,” he said.
FRSC personnel remained at the scene as of the time of filing the report, where they continued rescue operations and evacuated injured victims to hospitals for treatment.
