No fewer than 17 passengers escaped death in Kogi on Friday night when a bus rammed into a parked articulated vehicle, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the state has said.

Stephen Dawulung, the Kogi sector commander of the corps, confirmed this to journalists on Saturday in Lokoja.

Mr Dawulung said two persons died while one out of the 17 persons was seriously injured and rushed to Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Lokoja, for medical attention while the bodies were also deposited in the mortuary.

The sector commander said the accident occurred at Apamaru village, before Gada Biu on the Lokoja-Obajana-Kabba road.

“The cause of the accident was high speed and poor visibility since it was already night.

“This is part of the reason we keep preaching to motorists to avoid night journeys, not to endanger their lives and those of their passengers at risk.

“That incident would have been avoided if the driver had not embarked on that journey knowing that his bus had a poor lighting system.

“But we give God the glory that 17 out of the 19 persons involved in the accident survived it,” he said.

Mr Dawulung said drivers must adhere to stipulated speed limits and observe a minimum of 30 minutes rest after every four hours drive to avoid fatigue and sleep while driving.

He said that passengers should also understand that a night journey could expose them to higher risks of being involved in a crash and should try to avoid it.

(NAN)