Eight killed, 17 injured in Katsina road accident

No fewer than eight people have died, and 17 others were hurt in a serious road accident on the Funtua, Katsina highway in Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina State.

The Federal Road Safety Corps, Katsina Sector Command, reported that the crash happened around 1:32 p.m. on Sunday at Layin Kukah along the Funtua, Katsina road.

A First Information Report from the command’s Public Education Officer, DRC Shamsudeen Babajo, shared with journalists on Sunday, stated, “The crash involved a Toyota Hiace commercial bus with registration number 14B 92 TR and an unregistered Bajaj tricycle.”

“The crash involved a total of 25 persons. Seventeen sustained varying degrees of injuries, while eight persons lost their lives,” the FRSC said.

Initial investigations suggest that wrongful overtaking caused the accident.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the probable cause of the crash was wrongful overtaking (WOV),” the report added.

The FRSC mentioned that they got word about the crash at around 1:34 p.m. Their rescue team reached the scene at about 2:04 p.m., which means they responded in 30 minutes.

Babajo explained that the rescue operation worked with the Community Watch Corps. The injured were taken to Bakori Comprehensive Hospital for treatment. The dead were first taken to the same hospital before being moved to General Hospital, Funtua.

“The rescue team conducted the rescue operation in collaboration with the Community Watch Corps (C-Watch). The victims and the corpses were taken to Bakori Comprehensive Hospital for medical attention and further check-up, while the corpses were subsequently transferred to General Hospital, Funtua,” he said.

The FRSC urged drivers to avoid risky overtaking and follow traffic rules to stop avoidable road accidents.