KADUNA: 12 killed, 25 injured in auto crash

TWELVE (12) passengers reportedly lost their lives while 25 others were critically injured in a fatal auto crash along  kilometre 26 Kaduna-Abuja Highways on Wednesday.

The crash was said to have happened in the morning when a speeding bus rammed into a trailer.

Speaking on the tragic incident, the commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, stated that the government received the information through the security agencies.

The commissioner, who led an enforcement team on patrol, said the 25 injured travellers were currently receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital while unspecified livestock perished in the crash.

Aruwan quoted the governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, to have expressed sadness over the incident and commiserated with the families of the deceased just as he wished those injured quick recoveries.

The Governor, he said, also cautioned citizens plying the highway to desist from dangerous and potentially disastrous practices “like speeding, overloading, reckless driving and driving against the flow of traffic, which was prohibited by the Kaduna State Government a week ago.

The commissioner also urged travellers and other road users to comply with the ban on driving against the direction of traffic.

“The Kaduna State Government has received a report from security agencies on a fatal road traffic crash which occurred this morning at kilometer 26 of the Kaduna-Abuja highway.

“Twelve (12) persons were killed in the crash, with 25 injured, who are now receiving treatment in hospital. Several livestock also perished in the accident.

“A crane was deployed to retrieve two dead bodies mutilated and trapped underneath the wreckage of the trailer.

“The scene of the crash has been cleared, and security agencies have ensured the normal movement of traffic along the route,” the commissioner said at the scene of the accident.