Road crash in Katsina kills eight and injures 17.

Francis Sardauna in Katsina

Eight passengers lost their lives in a fatal road accident that occurred on Sunday along the Funtua–Katsina highway at Layin Kukah in Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina State.

A statement from Shamsudeen Babajo, the Public Education Officer of the state Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), said the crash happened at about 1:32 p.m.

The statement identified a commercial Toyota Hiace bus (registration number 14B 92 TR) and a Bajaj tricycle without a registration number as the vehicles involved.

In total, 25 people were affected by the accident, including 16 adult males, four adult females, two male children and three female children.

Eight individuals died, comprising two adult males, two adult females, three female children and one male child, while 17 others sustained injuries of varying severity.

“The injured victims suffered fractures and deep lacerations and were immediately taken to Bakori Comprehensive Hospital for medical attention,” the statement added.

Preliminary FRSC investigations indicated that wrongful overtaking was the likely cause of the tragedy, and the identities of the drivers had not yet been established at the time of filing the report.

The FRSC urged motorists to avoid dangerous overtaking and to follow traffic regulations strictly, in order to prevent avoidable loss of life on the nation’s highways.