An official at the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency put the death toll at 36 on Monday morning.
Opeyemi Olamilekan
KADUNA, Nigeria – At least 36 people have died in a bus collision in Nigeria’s northwestern Kaduna state, according to an official at the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency.
The victims, mostly Muslim worshippers, were travelling to Saminaka for the Eid-el-Maulud celebration, which marks the birth of Prophet Muhammad.
The government had declared a public holiday on Monday to celebrate this year’s Eid-el-Maulud.
The fatal crash occurred near the town of Lere when the Peugeot J5 bus collided with an oncoming truck, according to local reports.
An official at the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency put the death toll at 36 on Monday morning.
However, event organiser Ahmad Dayyabu told the BBC up to 40 people had died and 31 more were being treated in hospital.
“They took off from the town of Kwandare on their way to here, Saminaka. On reaching the town of Lere, their vehicle was run over by a trailer truck,” Dayyabu said. “From our investigation, there were 71 people in that ill-fated vehicle.”
Such road collisions are not uncommon in Nigeria as both drivers and passengers disregard safety measures resulting resulting in fatal accidents.
As per official statistics, more than 1,470 people have died in road collisions across Nigeria in the first quarter of 2024 which comes down to around 16 people per day on average due to loosely implemented safety measures.