An auto crash at Bacita junction along the Jebba-Ilorin highway in Kwara State claimed the lives of 17 people on Thursday afternoon.

The accident, which involved an 18-seater Toyota Hiace passenger bus and an articulated DAF container truck, also left two people injured.

It was learnt that the crash occurred as a result of over speeding and dangerous driving with the two vehicles having a head-on collision at a bend along the highway.

Speaking on the crash, the Head of Operation, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kwara State sector command, Udeme Eshiet, said that the DAF container truck was going towards Jebba, in the Kwara North district, while the passenger bus was coming to Ilorin, the state capital, when the crash occurred.

The FRSC official said that the crash occurred at a sharp bend, as a result of over speeding which led to a head-on collision by the two vehicles.

“Due to excess speeding in which the two drivers were involved while driving their vehicles at the time when the crash occurred, they could not negotiate the sharp bend properly, and when they eventually met, it resulted in a head-on collision,” he said.

The road safety official called on motorists to be more careful while driving on the nation’s highways to check avoidable accidents. He also said passengers should always caution and report every reckless driver to law enforcement agents nearby. (New Telegraph)