From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
Twelve passengers have died as a result of a ghastly auto crash which occurred along the Kano -Kaduna Expressway.
The accident, eyewitnesses told Daily Sun, occurred at Tsamawa village, Garun Malam Local Government Area of Kano State.
A statement signed, yesterday, by the Public Relations Officer, Kano State Fire Service, Saminu Yusif Abdullahi, indicated that the ill-fated vehicles were gutted by fire soon after the crash, while regretting that the victims were burnt beyond recognition.
The statement noted that the two commercial vehicles involved in the crash were a Hiace bus transporting 11 passengers from Zaria to Kano and a J5 bus transporting an unspecified number of passengers from Kano to Kaduna.
Due to the impact of the fire, the plate numbers of the vehicles and victims could not be ascertained as at press time.
“All victims were rescued unconscious and found dead and we cannot identify their names and age due to the fire incident,” the statement held.
The statement added that preliminary investigation indicated that while one victim died from the J5, the remaining 11 died from the Hiace bus coming from Kano.
The statement advised relatives of individuals who travelled on the affected highway in the last 24 hours to check with the State Fire Service or the Federal Road Safety Corps, while counselling drivers, especially commercial drivers, to drive with care.