Over 30 people were, yesterday, burnt beyond recognition, in Jos, the Plateau State capital, when a fuel-laden tanker veered off the road, somersaulted and caught fire.
The head of the tanker, which was coming from Bauchi State, severed from the truck and flooded the fuel on the road. The incident happened at Farin Gada Junction of Bauchi Road in Jos and seven vehicles were burnt also in the process, while a fully loaded Sharon bus got burnt with all the passengers.
It took several hours before people could go near the venue. The incident occurred at about 1:15 p.m., but it took about 4:00p.m., before the fire could subside.
Humanitarians deposited the victims’ charred bodies at the Plateau State Specialist Hospital. An eyewitness said more than 30 bodies were counted at the scene of the accident.
“We counted burnt heads which were more than 30. Not all the corpses were brought to Plateau Specialist Hospital. Other corpses have been taken to other hospitals,” the witness said.
Leader of the Department of State Secretariat of the Islamic Aid Group of the Jamatul Nasri Islam (JNI) that volunteered to convey the bodies to the morgue, Mallam Abdulkareem, said the driver was trying to bring the vehicle back on track, when it lost control, but failed in the process.
The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Stephen Golwa, told newsmen that nobody could avert what God had ordained.
