Two people were confirmed dead and six others seriously injured late Tuesday night of January 20, after a heavy-duty truck lost control and collided with another vehicle on the Gombe–Yola Road in Gombe State.
The accident took place at New Mile 3, close to the entry point of the main dual carriageway along the Gombe axis.
The incident, it was gathered, involved a long open-body truck conveying bags of rice, which was said to have been wrongly parked at the location.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Gombe State Governor on Security Matters and Intergovernmental Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Danbayo, confirmed the incident, attributing it to suspected negligence by the truck driver.
He said, “Initial investigations revealed that the truck was improperly parked and the handbrake was not adequately engaged. As a result, the vehicle moved uncontrollably and collided with a Mach Operations Hattara Toyota Hilux.”
Danbayo explained that the out-of-control truck also hit people present at the scene, including a member of the Hattara vigilante group and another passenger whose identity was yet to be confirmed.
According to him, “The impact was severe, leading to the death of two persons at the scene, while six others sustained varying degrees of serious injuries.”
Emergency responders promptly transported the injured victims to the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe, for treatment, while the bodies of the deceased were taken to the Specialist Hospital, Gombe.
Danbayo further disclosed that the truck driver had been apprehended by security operatives.
He said, “The driver has been taken into custody at the Tumfure Police Division, and arrangements are ongoing for his transfer to the Motor Traffic Department, MTD, Gombe, for further investigation and prosecution in line with the law.”
Comments