[News] 17 dead, 208 injured in Niger road crash

A tragic road accident has reportedly claimed the lives of seventeen people in Niger State.

The lone crash occurred at Takalafia village, on the Yawuri Expressway in the Magama Local Government of Niger State on Tuesday, November 22.

Confirming the accident, spokesperson of Federal Road Safety Corps, Bisi Kazeem, said the lone crash which occurred around 3 p.m. involved a total of 229 people, comprising 220 male adults, four female adults, and five male children.

“From that number, 206 male adults, one female adult, and one male child were rescued with different degrees of injuries, while a total of 17 male adults were killed by the crash,” Kazeem disclosed.

He noted that the crash which involved a red-colored commercial DAF trailer with number plate SRZ446XA driven by one Idi Doba was caused by a speed violation that resulted in the loss of control.

The injured victims were evacuated to the Kantagora General Hospital for immediate medical attention, while the dead victims were deposited in the mortuary of the same hospital.

The statement added that the FRSC Corps Marshal, Dauda Biu, again warned drivers of trailers and other haulage vehicles to desist from conveying passengers in their vehicles due to the danger they pose to the lives of those passengers and other road users.