ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi –
One person was killed and two injured in multiple road crashes that occurred on Monday and Tuesday along Bauchi-Jos highway in Bauchi State.
Our Correspondent learnt that two people were injured in the first crash which happened on Monday involving a container trailer and a tanker conveying Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) and heading towards Bauchi.
In the accident which happened at Buzaye village, about 16 kilometers away from Bauchi metropolis, the state capital, two vehicles were said to have been burnt.
The container was also said to have been burnt beyond recognition while the petrol tanker was partly burnt.
It was learnt that a J5 Bus also caught fire at the same spot on Tuesday. However, the cause of the fire was not known.
The accident which happened on Tuesday involved an Opel vectra and Toyota Sienna, all commercial vehicles.
The driver of the Red Opel Vectra was said to have died on the spot in the accident after his vehicle had a head-on collision with the Sienna with number plate: Abuja, KWL-776AZ.
The Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, Bauchi Sector Command, Yusuf Abdullahi, confirmed the incident in a telephone conversation with NATIONAL ACCORD on Tuesday evening.
He said: “We got a call at about 11.15am on Monday and our men rushed to the scene of the crash. What happened was that a container driver in an attempt to overtake a petrol tanker ran into it (the tanker) from the rear.
“Due to that, it bursted the tanker and that compartment started leaking its contents. The tanker driver parked the vehicle but still on the road, unfortunately for the container driver, the body of the tanker hooked to the head of the container.
“So he could not move and at that time, there was no outbreak of fire yet, everything was quite stable except that that lane of the road was blocked.
“Before our men got to the place, one golf which was carrying iron rods on its back wanted to pass, then it scratched those iron rods on the road and that was the genesis of the fire outbreak.
“At the time the men of the Fire Service out out the fire, two compartments of the PMS in the tanker were still intact. The tanker belongs to A.Y.M. Shafa, they came and transloaded it after the fire was put out while the container also loaded the milk it was carrying into another vehicle.
“The operation lasted up to about 11am this (Tuesday) morning and we invited the V.I.O. and they came and cleared the road so as to create space for people to pass. There was no death except that the container driver and his assistant sustained minor injuries.”
He warned motorists not to use abnormal vehicles to carry goods that are not meant for it pointing out that all vehicles are designed for specific type of goods.
He said that: “You can imagine the level of damages caused yesterday and the driver of the golf left with his vehicle, he didn’t even stop because he didn’t incur any damage in his vehicle. Whenever they see any vehicle with petrol, the should be careful and stay clear from it.”
Speaking of the Tuesday accident, the FRSC boss said he was yet to be briefed on the exact level of the incident.
“Yes, there was an accident but I don’t have the full details. As I speak with you, our men are right there on a rescue operation, they are yet to be back, so I have not yet been briefed,” he said.
The Public Relations Officer, Bauchi State Fire Service, Abubakar Bala, also said that it took a combined effort with the Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic Fire Service Outpost to put off the fire.
He said that: “Today, there was another fire incident at the same place. A car caught fire there and we were called upon so we responded.”
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