By Desire Emmanuel
The 70-year-old driver of a commercial bus and six passengers in the bus were confirmed dead while 12 other passengers sustained various degrees of injuries when the 18-seater bus somersaulted as a result of burst tyres in Jigawa State.
The police command in the state announced the accident in a statement on Sunday night, saying the accident occurred around 4:30 p.m. on Sunday along Kiyawa-Azare Road, near Jigawan Kurma Village, Kiyawa Local Government Area of the state.
The accident was said to have involved a Toyota Hummer bus driven by the 70-year-old driver, Mallam Ibrahim Potiskum and conveying 18 passengers from Kano to Potiskum in Yobe State.
The command said preliminary investigations revealed that the two rear tyres of the vehicle burst while the driver was speeding, causing the bus to somersault and veer off the road.
It was gathered that a distress call was received by the men of the Motor Traffic Division of the Kiyawa Divisional Headquarters and after receiving the call, its personnel raced to the scene for rescue operations.
The command wrote: “Sadly, seven persons, including the driver, died on the spot. Twelve others sustained various degrees of injuries and were rushed to General Hospital, Dutse, for medical attention. Four of the injured victims have since been treated and discharged, while the remaining are still receiving treatment.
“All recovered luggage belonging to the victims have been taken into police custody for safe keeping. The corpses were deposited at the General Hospital, Dutse, mortuary, while efforts are currently ongoing to contact their families.”
