AUTO CRASH KILLS 17, INJURES 66

By NBF News

SEVENTEEN people died and 66 others seriously injured in an accident that occurred along the Suleja-Minna road on Wednesday.

Vanguard was told by an eyewitness that the accident involved a truck with registration Number XA551 BMG.

The vehicle was said to be coming to Minna from Katsina state carrying well over 200 passengers most of them labourers.

The passengers were said to have just finished harvesting at Mashi and were coming to Minna to look for job before the next cropping season.

It was learnt that the accident occurred at a slope along the Suleja-Minna road due to a sudden faulty the break.

The driver of the vehicle , yet to be identified but  suspected to be among the dead, was said to have  directed his conductor to drop from the vehicle and put a wedge in between the moving wheels to stop it from rolling down the slope.

Vanguard learnt that the conductor was among the first casualty as the vehicle grinded him to death.

The remains of the dead travellers were first deposited at the Gawu Babangida general hospital but because of their number,  the Emir of Suleja, Dr Mohammed Awal Ibrahim, in whose domain the incident happened, directed that the bodies be buried to avoid pollution because of the large number of the corpses.

The Head of the Hospital Services, Dr. Hussaini Yabagi, confirmed the story as he also showed reporters the remains of the deceased.