There was a tragedy yesterday – Sallah eve – in Edo state as 19 persons lost their lives in a ghastly road accident at Ugoneki village, along Benin-Asaba highway, in Uhunmwode Local Government Area of the State.
The Mr Samuel Odukoya, the State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), who confirmed the incident to newsmen on Friday, disclosed that it occurred at about 6 pm on Thursday, when an 18-seater commercial bus, with registration number ABD 206 XA, had a head-on collision with a truck marked DRZ 347 XA, carrying goats, and heading to Benin.
The commercial bus is said to be heading to Auchi.
Sixteen of the passengers were said to have died at the spot, three others died at the hospital, while five others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
A source in the area, who pleaded not to be named, also disclosed that members of a family who were travelling for the Eid-el-Kabir celebration were among the casualties.