No fewer than 15 persons have been confirmed dead when a trailer conveying cattle overturned as a result of over speeding along Minna-Bida road, Niger state.
42 others were injured when a trailer carrying tomatoes and pepper overturned along Bida-Mokwa road.
The two incidents, according to the Niger state Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), occurred on Sunday afternoon.
It said the victims and bodies of the deceased were taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Bida.
Apart from over speeding, no one can ascertain the cause of the first accident, which claimed 15 lives, including the driver.
The Head of Clinical Services of FMC, Bida, Dr Adedeji Adekanye, confirmed 10 dead bodies were brought to the hospital from the accident spot but said no one gave him details of how the accident occurred.
He said that the deceased were deposited at the morgue while five others who were brought alive later died due to the severity of their injuries.
The second accident where 42 persons were injured was said to have occurred when the driver lost control in an attempt to negotiate a bend around Gbadafu community after Vida town.
The trailer, said to be overloaded with people apart from the produce, overturned as the driver tried to gain back control of the trailer.
Speaking to newsmen in Minna, the Director General, Niger state Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Alhaji Ahmed Ibrahim Inga, who also confirmed the crashes said that the victims are from Katsina and Zamfara states.
He said majority of the injured persons were receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre (Bida), while 13 people are on admission at the Umaru Ndayako General Hospital in Vida while others were taken to a private hospital within the town.
The Head of Clinical Services of FMC, Bida said the Center could not admit all the injured persons as the Centre currently lacks adequate bed spaces.
He added most of the victims were being attended to on the floor while those with minor injuries were treated and sent home while others who had severe injuries were taken to other hospitals.
NSEMA Director General disclosed that the Agency has been able to reach out to relations of some of the deceased saying their burial have been slated for 4pm today.
