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Six people have lost their lives in a tragic road accident along the Makurdi–Otukpo highway involving an 18-seater Benue Links bus and a truck reportedly owned by the China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC).
The crash occurred around 4 p.m. on Friday near the abandoned Benue Burnt Bricks factory.
Twelve other passengers sustained varying degrees of injuries in the incident.
An eyewitness explained that the commercial bus was transporting passengers from Makurdi to Otukpo and had almost arrived at its destination when the collision happened, barely three kilometres from Otukpo town.
According to the witness, five passengers died instantly at the accident scene, while another victim later passed away at the Federal University of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital Otukpo (FUHSTHO), where the injured victims were taken for treatment.
“It is really unfortunate that the passengers were already in Otukpo and heading into town when the truck ran into the bus on the dusty road due to the ongoing construction work,” the eyewitness said.
“There was poor visibility because of the dust. The driver of the truck probably did not see the bus approaching and rammed into it. Five passengers died on the spot while another later died at the hospital,” he added.
The eyewitness further stated that the 12 surviving passengers, including a seven-month-old baby, suffered different levels of injuries.
A medical source at the hospital confirmed that the injured victims were quickly admitted and are currently receiving treatment.
“Under the guidance of the medical team, the patients are receiving treatment and are responding positively to care,” the source said.
The Public Relations Officer of Benue Links, Mr. Johnson Ehi, also confirmed the accident, stating that the transport company had taken responsibility for the treatment of the injured passengers.
“The casualty figure is six, they are five males and one female. The bus was an 18-seater, it was travelling from Makurdi to Otukpo when the truck ran into it.
“The remaining 12 passengers are responding to treatment. We have taken over their medical bills at the FUHSTHO.”
Attempts to obtain comments from the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, were unsuccessful as calls to him were not returned.
Six die, 12 injured as Benue Links bus, truck collide along Makurdi–Otukpo road
