No fewer than 18 passengers have been confirmed dead in an auto crash at Zakirai on Kano-Ringim Road in Gabasawa Local Government Area of Kano State.

12 other persons were also injured in the auto crash while five escaped unhurt.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Sector Commander in Kano, Ibrahim Abdullahi, who confirmed the incident via a statement issued on Saturday by the sector’s spokesman, Abdullahi Labaran, disclosed that the accident occurred on Friday, June 2.

He said some of the corpses were given mass burial at the accident scene, while others were handed over to their relatives.

Abdullahi stated that the accident involved two commercial vehicles, saying: “We received a call about the accident at about 8:35 p.m. on Friday and dispatched our personnel to the scene to rescue the victims.”

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The FRSC official blamed the accident on excessive speeding, dangerous driving, and overloading which he said led to a head-on collision and the bursting into flames of one of the vehicles.

“The accident involved a total of 35 passengers in two buses, out of which 18 were burnt beyond recognition while 12 others sustained serious injuries,” he added.

Abdullahi said the injured victims were taken to Murtala Mohammed General Hospital, Kano.

He advised motorists to avoid overspeeding, overloading, wrongful overtaking, dangerous driving, and any infraction that could lead to road crashes.

Abdullahi assured that the FRSC would intensify public enlightenment and undertake stringent patrol interventions, including the operation of mobile courts to stem the rising tide of intercity auto crashes.

The Star