No fewer than three people died on Tuesday after a truck fell off an overhead bridge in Jos, the Plateau State capital.
Residents who gathered at the scene along Zaria Road confirmed the tragedy to newsmen in Jos on Tuesday, stating that approximately 45 cows were also killed in the disaster, which occurred between 4 and 5 a.m.
One of the residents in Jos, Plateau State, Timothy Garuba, told our correspondent that the tragedy occurred in the early hours of Tuesday while the truck was mounting the flyover bridge located within the Gada Biu/Kabong area of Plateau State.
Garuba said, “A truck driver lost control on the Kabong fly-over bridge in Jos North Local Government Area early this morning.
“The truck was carrying cows and passengers around 4:30 am when it fell off the bridge with passengers and some cows trapped under it. I can count 45 cows that are littered on the ground dead. Some passengers are trapped under the vehicle as well.”
Peter Langsan, the state’s Public Education Officer for the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, confirmed the casualty figures and stated that both the deceased and injured victims had been evacuated to the hospital.
Langsan said, “Our officers and men have just concluded the rescue operation here. It was an articulated vehicle carrying cows and human beings that fell off the bridge. Three people died, and three others were also injured. They have been taken to the hospital.”
Langsan, who blamed the tragedy on speeding, cautioned motorists not to transport individuals in vehicles designed for freight.
