BY VICTORIA OJEME

ABUJA – At least 15 people were yesterday confirmed dead in a road crash along Nyanya/Maraba road, by Kugbo furniture market in Abuja.

The accident, which occurred at 3.30 pm, according to eyewitnesses, grounded the usual evening traffic on the road.

The victims were evacuated by men of the Federal Road safety Corps, FRSC, VIO, Nigeria Police and sympathisers who took the injured to hospitals for treatment, while the dead were deposited in mortuaries.

Eyewitness account said the accident occurred when a trailer carrying rods rammed into several vehicles, apparently due to break failure.

The driver of the trailer, it was learnt, suddenly lost control of the vehicle, veered off the road and rammed into three vehicles, killing eight people inside one of the vehicle instantly.

One of the vehicles involved in the accident.

Most of the dead and injured were initially taken to Asokoro General Hospital, while some of the corpses were transferred to other hospitals due to lack of space in the mortuary.

Chief Medical Director of Asokoro General Hospital, Dr Bello Olugbenga, who confirmed the development, told Vanguard that the hospital morgue was already overstretched, hence the decision to refer the corpses to other hospitals.

At the Maitama General Hospital, the Chief Medical Director, Dr Francis Alu, also confirmed to Vanguard that seven people, including three females and four males, were brought in dead, while 10 people with varying degree of injuries were admitted for treatment.

At the time of filling this report, a heavy duty towing vehicle belonging to construction giant, Julius Berger, had arrived the scene of the accident to remove the trailer from the road.