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No fewer than 18 people have been confirmed dead and 21 others injured after a heavy-duty truck carrying passengers and goods crashed into a ditch in Bida Local Government Area of Niger State.
The tragic accident occurred late Tuesday night at Wuya Village while the truck was travelling from Lagos to Kano.
Eyewitnesses initially claimed the vehicle plunged into a river, prompting an emergency response by officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). However, several occupants could not be rescued alive.
Confirming the incident, the Niger State FRSC Sector Commander, Aishat Saadu, clarified that the truck did not fall into a river but into a large ditch deep enough to completely submerge the vehicle.
“The incident occurred at Wuya Village and it is not a river but a ditch. The ditch is big enough for the vehicle to submerge,” she said.
Saadu disclosed that only two occupants escaped the crash without injuries, while the bodies of the deceased had been deposited in a mortuary.
She added that the 21 injured victims were evacuated to a hospital, where they are receiving medical treatment.
