Kogi tanker accident death toll now 13, says FRSC

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on Saturday said the death toll in the petrol tanker accident in Felele area of Lokoja on Friday has risen to 13.

Segun Martins, the sector commander of the FRSC in Kogi, told journalists that three other victims died Friday night – after ten had died earlier in the day.

He said the relations of the dead victims have started identifying them. One of them, he said, was a staff of the Kogi State Polytechnic while six were burnt beyond recognition.

According to Martins, eight other injured victims are still receiving treatment at the federal medical centre and the state specialist hospital, Lokoja.

The accident had occurred when a petrol tanker and an 18-seater bus in the area collided, resulting in an explosion.

Most of the victims were passengers travelling in the bus believed to be owned by Delta Line.

A commercial tricycle operator, the driver and co-occupant of the fuel tanker had also died.

Eye witnesses had told NAN that the accident was due to a head-on collision between the bus, coming from Abuja and the tanker laden with 33,000 litres of petrol which was coming from the opposite direction.

The impact of the collision then ignited the fire which engulfed the two vehicles and a commercial tricycle.

Firefighters, who had arrived the scene of the accident at about 2:20pm, were said to be unable to put off the fire due to lack of water in their vehicles.