By PETER UWUMAROGIE

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed the death of seven persons in a lone crash that happened on Billiri – Gombe Road, in Ladongor community of Billiri Local Government Area of Gombe State.

The Sector Commander, Mr. Samson Kaura, confirmed the accident in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Monday.

Kaura said the crash involved a Toyota Hummer bus bearing registration number: NUJ – 01, occurred at about 5:30 pm on Monday.

He said preliminary investigation linked the cause of the crash to a tyre burst,

The commander said five of the seven deceased were staff of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Gombe, while four other passengers sustained varying degrees of injuries.

Kaura said the corps rescue team initially evacuated the victims to Amana Clinic and General Hospital Billiri, and later referred to the Specialist Hospital, Gombe

He said the corpses had been deposited at the Specialist Hospital, Gombe.

The commander advised motorists to always check the expiration date of tyres to avoid burst, adding that expired tyres risk burst anytime.

Kaura sympathised with the management of NTA and the NUJ family in the state over the loss.

NAN reports that two out of the five deceased NTA staff included the station’s Managers of Administration and News.

They were returning from the wedding ceremony of one of their colleagues in Kaltungo town of Kaltungo LGA. (NAN, excluding headline)