Not less than 19 wedding guests who were traveling to Kano State after attending a marriage ceremony in Barkin Ladi local government area of Plateau State were burnt to death in a road accident in the Kwana Macji area of Pankshin local government area of the state.
Chairman of the Pankshin LGA Emergency Management Committee, John Dasar, who confirmed the accident in a statement on Tuesday, said 11 others were injured in the tragic accident which occured on Saturday night.
Dasar said the victims came from Kano to attend a wedding and were returning home when the accident happened and as the travellers were being helped out of the affected vehicle, it caught fire and burnt the 19 people who were yet to be evacuated.
“The accident happened on Saturday, the people were from Kano, they came for a wedding ceremony at Barkin Ladi. They were returning home and were to pass through Gindiri to Bauchi which is a shorter route.
“The driver and a few others survived but 19 of them were burnt beyond recognition because when the accident happened, the people were being helped out of the vehicle when it caught fire and trapped the deceased.”
Dasar said that the survivors were rushed to the Pankshin General Hospital while the following day, the Chairman of the Pankshin council, Felix Gonung accompanied by the Supervisory Councillor for Health, Lengyang Tali, the Councillor Representing Wuchembe Ward, Simon Gerji, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Pankshin Division, the Head of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Pankshin Local Government Area, among others visited the survivors.
He added that Gonung arranged for the transfer of the critically injured victims to the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) for proper medical care while those with minor injuries were treated and transported back to Kano State as the Chairman urged road users to exercise caution and adhere to safety regulations to prevent such tragedies.
An eyewitness who spoke with journalists said the accident involved a bus carrying about 30 passengers, including adults and children and that the vehicle reportedly had a brake failure, collided with a tree, and burst into flames.
