The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed that seven members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) lost their lives, while four others sustained injuries in a lone fatal road accident involving an NUJ bus in Gombe State.
The crash occurred on Monday evening as the journalists were returning from a wedding ceremony in Gombe South Senatorial District. The victims were part of a delegation that had travelled to honour a colleague, an employee of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), who was getting married.
Confirming the incident in a telephone interview with our correspondent, the Gombe State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Samson Kaura, said a total of 11 persons were involved in the accident.
“From the information available to us, 11 people were involved in the crash. Sadly, seven of them died on the spot, while four others sustained varying degrees of injuries,” Kaura said.
He explained that preliminary findings indicated that the accident was a lone crash, likely caused by a tyre burst.
“It is a lone accident, and from what we have gathered so far, it is very fatal. Although investigations are still ongoing, I suspect it may have been a tyre burst. Perhaps the driver applied the brakes suddenly, which caused the vehicle to somersault,” he stated.
Kaura added that FRSC rescue teams were promptly deployed to the scene and were still conducting rescue and recovery operations as of the time of the interview.
“Our officers are still on the ground carrying out rescue operations. We have not concluded the full assessment yet, but a comprehensive report will be released after the operation is completed,” he said.
He further assured that the injured victims had been taken to nearby health facilities for medical attention, while the corps would continue its investigation to determine the exact cause of the crash.