No fewer than 20 people have been confirmed dead following a deadly motor accident that happened on Friday at Hawan Kibo community in the Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.
According to eyewitnesses, the crash took place at around 5pm along the notorious Hawan Kibo bend, sending the community into a state of panic.
The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps in Plateau State, Corps Commander Adelaja Ogungbemi, confirmed the number of fatalities.
The Sector Commander said, “Yes, it is true. There was an accident this evening at the Hawan Kibo area in Riyom LGA of Plateau State. Our officers are right there at the scene on the rescue operation.
“It was a terrible accident. They have evacuated many injured persons to the hospital, and others are still being taken to the hospital right now. At the moment, I can confirm to you that 20 people have been confirmed dead from the accident.”
Speaking on the cause of the crash, the sector commander attributed it to brake failure.
“It was a brake failure. We will continue to advise that motorists should always check their vehicles before driving. And they should drive carefully, especially when negotiating a bend,” he added.
An eyewitness named Moses Gyang, who arrived at the scene shortly after the crash, expressed grief over how severe the accident was.
“I was close by when it happened around 5pm. The vehicle lost control while descending the hill. It was a terrible sight; people were shouting for help,” the eyewitness said.
A second eyewitness called the scene heartbreaking and noted that the crowd that had gathered made rescue efforts more difficult.
“We have never seen such an accident here in recent times. Many people were lying on the ground. FRSC officers came quickly and started carrying the injured to the hospital, but many had already died,” he said.
At the time this report was being filed, FRSC officials were still at the scene carrying out rescue operations and moving injured victims to the hospital.
