No fewer than six persons have been confirmed dead while five others sustained injuries in a multiple crash involving seven vehicles that happened in Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State on Monday night.
The Acting Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Kogi, Mr. Samuel Ogundayo, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Okene.
Ogundayo described the accident as “tragic and very unfortunate,” while revealing that the crash occurred around 8:30 p.m. at the Okengwe community in Okene.
According to him, the incident was triggered by a truck that lost its brakes while attempting to climb Okengwe hill, but rolled backward and crushed two tricycles, three cars, and eventually collided with another truck.
“The tragic and unfortunate incident left six persons dead and five others injured,” he stated.
The Commander stated that the FRSC operatives promptly arrived at the scene, and rescued the injured victims and conveyed them to the Referral Hospital in Okene for treatment.
He also said that the remains of the deceased were deposited at the Onene General Hospital mortuary.
He noted that, “The FRSC rescue operatives who arrived the accident scene in good time rushed the injured to the Referral Hospital, Okene for treatment, while the corpses of the dead were deposited at Mortuary of the Onene General hospital.”
Ogundayo said that it took the combined efforts of FRSC officials and other security agencies to clear the resulting gridlock and restore free movement on the highway.
He further advised motorists to always maintain a safe distance from trucks, especially in hilly areas, to prevent such occurrences in the event of brake failure.
The commander also urged road users to adhere strictly to traffic rules and regulations to reduce the frequency of accidents and fatalities on roads.
