17 killed in Kwara auto crash

17 people have died in a ghastly auto crash in
Kwara State. The accident, which occurred in
the early hours of yesterday at Peke village,
Kilometres 16 Ilorin-Jebba expressway, also left
no fewer than ten people with varying degrees
of injuries. It involved a DAF truck, with
registration number XD 762 KNT and two
Toyota Hummer buses with registration
numbers TAK 113 XA and XC 185 NSK. It was
gathered that the accident occurred around
3.30am at the spot where the dualisation of
the expressway terminates. According to
reports, the truck was said to have rammed
into the commercial buses. Eyewitness account
said that the Hummer buses, each with 19
passengers, took off from Lagos and were
heading for Kastina State. The Sector
Commander of the Federal Roads Safety
Commission (FRSC) in Kwara state, Mrs. Mary
Wakama, who confirmed the incident, said the
corpses of the deceased had been deposited at
the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital
(UITH). She added that two victims with severe
injuries had been taken to Sobi Specialist
Hospital, while others with minor injuries are
receiving treatment at private hospitals. Mrs.
Wakawa, who blamed the accident on attitude
of most drivers in the country, discouraged
night travelling, saying it portends danger. She
also said that the auto crash may have been
caused by fatigue on the part of the truck
driver, adding that visibility is always poor in
the night, stressing that assistance would also
be difficult to get at night.