.As Tinubu consoles with members, leaders of Tijjaniya Movement
..Driver survives as 18 passengers burnt to death along Ije by Ode- Ore Expressway
CHIGOZIE AMADI
The death toll that occurred during an auto crash in Kaduna State has risen to 40, majority being children.
The victims were traveling for the Eid-el Maulud celebration when their bus collided with a truck on Saminaka Road in Lere Local Government Area.
The death toll, initially reported as 25, has tragically risen as more victims passed away while receiving treatment.
The children were en-route to a religious event when their bus, overloaded and speeding, lost control and crashed into another vehicle, TVC News reported.
Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has expressed his deep sorrow over the incident, instructing the commissioner of health to ensure that all survivors receive the necessary medical attention.
Meanwhile the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has embarked on mourning for 40 Maulud participants killed in the auto crash
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday commiserated with the Tijjaniyya Movement in Nigeria over the death of 40 of its members killed in an auto crash on Sunday.
Scores of others were injured in the incident.
The victims were on their way from Kwandari in Plateau after celebrating Maulud in Saminaka, Kaduna State when their bus collided with a truck at Lere, Kaduna.
President Tinubu condoled with the families of the victims and with the governments of Kaduna and Plateau states, Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President, Information and Strategy, said in a statement.
He prayed for the repose of the souls of the departed.
The President directed the Federal Roads Safety Commission (FRSC) to improve highway monitoring and reduce the number of road accidents nationwide.
In another tragic incident, at least 18 passengers tragically died in a fatal accident on the Ijebu-Ode/Ore expressway, Ogbere area of Ijebu East local government in Ogun State.
The victims were burnt beyond recognition in the incident involving a Toyota Hiace, with registration number XA 690AKU, while one passenger sustained injuries.
Babajide Akinbiyi, Public Relations Officer of the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), confirmed the accident in a statement issued from Abeokuta, the state capital.
The accident, which occurred due to an inferno from Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) stored in a jerry can inside the vehicle, was classified as a lone accident.
“According to eyewitness accounts and this was corroborated by the driver, there was a keg full of Petroleum Motor Spirit inside the bus.
It fell on its side when the vehicle got to a failed portion of the road. The PMS poured on the floor of the bus and later dropped on the exhaust pipe and caused the vehicle to catch fire in transit,” Akinbiyi explained.
He added that the driver, who was partially burnt, was rescued and taken to Rona Hospital in Ijebu Ode, while the deceased were deposited at the State Hospital Mortuary, Ijebu Ode.
While warning drivers against storing fuel in jerry cans, Akinbiyi expressed condolences to the families of the deceased.
