At least 10 passengers die in trailer accident, scores injured
At least 10 people have been killed in a road crash involving a trailer in Katsina State, said the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
The spokesman for the FRSC Command in Katsina, Abubakakar Usman, confirmed the incident to Channels Television on Friday.
The trailer loaded with 18 passengers and an unspecified number of cattle was said to have lost control and crashed on Thursday night at Gora village in Malumfashi Local Government Area of the state.
As a result, 10 people lost their lives, and the remaining eight sustained varying degrees of injury. Many of the cattle also died on the spot.
Usman, while giving an account of the incident, said an investigation conducted by the FRSC rescue team revealed that the driver was sleeping while the long vehicle was on motion, leading to the accident.
“We are yet to confirm the number of cattle that died but according to eyewitnesses and our men on a rescue mission, they saw 10 people dead and eight injured,” he said.
“The accident was a lone crash that happened after 12 midnight on Thursday at Gora village of Malumfashi Local Government Area, involving a trailer with Registration Number KTN 495 XA, overloaded with animals and passengers, en route to southern Nigeria when it lost control at a sharp bend and crashed.
“Our accident investigation teams were there on a rescue mission already. They have even facilitated the police report.”
The FRSC official appealed to drivers to desist from embarking on night journeys which he said often lead to fatal accidents.
Eyewitnesses also said the trailer was headed to Warri in Delta State from Dankama town in Katsina Local Government Area before it crashed.
One of the survivors, Abdulmalik Sani, told Channels Television that all the victims were from the same village – Dankama in Kaita Local Government Area.
According to him, the wounded victims have been taken to the General Hospital in Malumfashi and their relatives have since been contacted. (Text, excludin headline: Channels TV)
