AUTO CRASH CLAIMS 18 LIVES IN KOGI

The vehicle, which was said to be on top speed, somersaulted several times when its driver tried to avoid running into the motorcycle whose rider was said to have lost control.

The motorcycle operator and 17 of the passengers in the bus were said to have died on the spot. Their corpses were said to have been taken to the morgue of an undisclosed hospital.

'Both the driver of the bus and the okada rider lost control and that was responsible for the accident. The okada rider crossed the road carelessly when he lost control and the driver of the 18-seater bus was over-speeding and in the process of trying to avoid crashing into the motorcycle, the vehicle somersaulted several times. The okada rider and 17 passengers inside the bus died immediately', said Yakubu Haruna, a witness.

At press time, the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) Mr Yomi Asaniyan, said he had no detail on the incident.