Two persons have been confirmed dead while 16 others sustained varying degrees of injuries in an auto crash around Polo Roundabout in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.
LEADERSHIP learnt that the incident occurred around 6 pm on Sunday.
Public Education Officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Plateau State Command, SRC Peter Longsan, confirmed the incident in a statement in Jos on Monday.
Longsan said the crash occured around St. Louis College near the Polo Field Club Roundabout involving a tanker and five other vehicles.
He added that the crash was reported to the FRSC at about 6:49 pm resulting in swift rescue response by the officers.
The statement said two (2) male adults died on the spot, while 16 others who sustained various degrees of injuries were rushed to the Plateau State Specialist Hospital and Bingham University Teaching Hospital (BUTH).
Longsan said the bodies of the deceased were deposited at BUTH.
Recounting eyewitnesses’ account, Longsan reported that the tanker lost its brake after the Plateau State Specialist Hospital Roundabout and kept descending until it finally crashed into the affected vehicles.
As part of measures to avert breakdown of law and order, he said sister security agencies comprising the Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, officers of Operation Rainbow, Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN), Nigerian Army, Federal Fire Service, Vehicle Inspection Officers and men of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, cordoned off the vicinity and diverted traffic to ensure the safety of road users.
“The content of the petroleum product was safely trans loaded, all the vehicles involved have been safely removed and all obstructions cleared,” Longsan said.
Plateau State FRSC Sector Commander, Corps Commander Olajide Mogaji, enjoined road users to call the FRSC emergency number 122 to report road traffic crash or other road emergencies for immediate intervention.
He further urged Nigerians to avoid distractions and take responsibility for their actions and inactions on the road.
