A truck toppled over the overhead bridge at the Secretariat Junction in Jos, the capital of Plateau State, causing a road accident that injured 14 people.
According to eyewitnesses, the truck carrying people and cows to Lagos from Adamawa State was on the bridge when it lost control and crashed to the ground below.
The impact of the incident, which occurred on Thursday night, was claimed to be significant, resulting in several injuries and extensive car damage.
The reason for the accident is still being investigated, but authorities believe that speeding and reckless driving may have contributed to the crash.
Mr. Maxwell Lede, Sector Commander for the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Plateau State, verified the accident in a preliminary report issued on Friday.
According to him, Muhammad Mandir Yusuf, the driver of the articulated vehicle with registration number NSK523ZY, was transporting 32 people and cows when the accident occurred.
The sector commander stated that, while no one was killed in the accident, emergency personnel responded quickly and took the injured to a local hospital for treatment.
The sector commander said, “A road traffic crash involving an articulated vehicle (trailer) loaded with humans and animals (cows) has occurred at the Secretariat Junction of Jos Metropolis. No death was recorded.
“However, 14 people were rescued to hospitals with various degrees of injury. The crash has affected traffic flow on the outward service lane that connects the Secretariat to the express, while the left lane connecting the roundabout under the flyover is partially affected, thereby narrowing the lane.
“Traffic on that section of the road is obstructed to traffic flow and temporarily closed. While all vehicles coming from the Secretariat use the left lane only to connect to the roundabout.
“Men of the FRSC and NPF are right on the ground, managing traffic situations to avoid secondary crashes and traffic gridlock, while frantic efforts are on towards total clearance of the obstruction. So far, there is no cause for alarm.
“Rescue was done by the FRSC ambulance rescue team and emergency response services in collaboration with NPF. The victims were taken to Plateau State Specialist Hospital, Bingham University Teaching Hospital, and JUTH, respectively, for treatment.”
