Christmas: 17 killed, 25 injured as luxury, Toyota buses collide

A fatal accident involving a luxurious bus and a Toyota Hiace commuter bus on Okene- Lokoja–Abuja highway in Kogi State has resulted in the death of 17 passengers.

At least 25 other people were left with varying degree of injuries.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Sector Commander, Kogi State, Mr Solomon Aghure, said the accident occurred at Irepeni village around 5pm on Tuesday.

According to him, two vehicles, a luxury bus and a Toyota Hiace were both conveying a total of 55 passengers to different destinations when they collided.

He said 15 passengers died on the spot while two others died at a hospital, bringing the total number of casualties to 17.

“The Toyota Hiace was going to Auchi, Edo State and the luxury bus was coming from Okene axis,” he said.

Trouble was said to have started when the luxury bus overtook a car and in the process lost control and ran into the Toyota bus, pushing it into the bush.

“The vehicle somersaulted severally, leading to the death of 15 passengers on the spot while two others later died at a hospital.

“We have taken the injured 25 passengers to a private hospital for treatment and deposited the 17 dead bodies at the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja,” he said.

According to him, further investigation into the accident has commenced.

While advising motorists to avoid night travelling and over speeding, he added, “It is important for motorists to obey the speed limit, which is 90kph for commercial vehicles and 100kph for private vehicles.”