Kano – A speeding and overloaded bus crashed into a truck parked by a
road in northern Nigeria on Monday, killing 20 passengers, an official
and a hospital source told AFP.
The bus had set off Kano and was headed to Potiskum in Yobe state.
Potiskum has been attacked repeatedly by Boko Haram Islamists, and
the insurgency has forced state officials to impose a dusk-to-dawn
curfew in several areas.
The bus was reportedly speeding towards the city in order to beat the curfew when it crashed at roughly 17:00.
“A commercial bus carrying 22 passengers ran into a stationary truck”
just outside Potiskum, said Sani Umar, an official with the state
drivers union, noting that the vehicle was intended to carry just 17
people.
“The truck somersaulted several times on impact. …We evacuated 20
dead bodies from the bus, with two seriously injured,” he added.
He described speeding as the “likely cause,” as drivers typically
increase their speed as the curfew approaches to avoid being barred from
entering the city when the military shuts off access at 18:00.
Badly maintained vehicles
A doctor at the Potiskum General Hospital, who was not authorised to
speak to journalists, told AFP that 20 dead bodies had been brought in
from the accident site.
Osuman Masari of the Federal Road Safety Commission in Yobe state
said he had “received information about a ghastly motor accident outside
Potiskum this evening involving a commuter bus.”
“We don’t have details at the moment because we don’t have people on the ground,” he added.
Road safety officials were forced to withdraw from the area following a spate of attacks blamed on Boko Haram, he said.
The Islamists have killed hundreds of people across northern Nigeria since 2009.
Parts of several states targeted by the insurgents have been placed under curfew.
Nigeria’s roads are among the most dangerous in the world.
Badly maintained vehicles, poor roads and widespread reckless driving
conspire to kill thousands in motor accidents across Africa’s most
populous country each year.
