Auto Crash: 2 Corps Members Die,12 Others Injured

An auto crash at Igbor Village of Gwer Local Government Area of Benue State has killed two Batch B’ corps members just as 12 others, six males and six females, who  survived the crash were receiving treatment in hospitals in the area.

LEADERSHIP recalled that the former Secretary to the Benue State Government (SSG), late Dr. Audu Achigili had, in December 2010 died in an accident at a bend in the same village.

It was gathered that the accident occurred between 4pm and 5pm on Monday evening, when the corps members were travelling to Otukpo town, the place of their primary assignments.

An eye witness, who simply gave his name as Joseph, told our correspondent that the corps members were travelling in a 16 seater bus with a banner of Anglican Corpers’ Fellowship, which lost control, and somersaulted three times and finally crashed into the bush.

The Benue State Zonal Coordinator of NYSC, Mr. Moses Odu, who spoke to LEADERSHIP at St. Vincent’s Hospital, Aliade, where the surviving corps members were hospitalised, said that the corps members were discharged from the NYSC camp to report to their various places of primary assignments before the accident happened.

 He said that two of the corps members died on the spot, three were rushed to the Federal Medical Centre Apir in Makurdi, while nine were still at the St. Vincent’s Hospital.

The Medical Doctor in charge of St. Vincent Hospital Aliade, Dr. Sunday Ameh, confirmed that the accident victims were responding to treatment but said that two of the survivors were in critical condition and said that their chances of surviving were not satisfactory.

Meanwhile, the State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, who had earlier performed the flag-off ceremony of fertiliser and chemicals distribution to farmers, on hearing the news, visited the accident victims.

 He described the accident as very unfortunate and ordered that the survivors should be transferred to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital for proper medical attention. He further paid a condolence visit on the Benue state NYSC coordinator.