18-seater bus plunges into Black River in Kogi, casualties recorded

Four persons have been confirmed dead, 13 others rescued, while one person is still missing as an 18-seater bus plunged into the Black River, a tributary to River Niger in Kotonkarfe, Kogi State.

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The accident happened around 7.30pm on Tuesday when the driver of the bus allegedly slept off and lost control.

According to the State Commandant of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Suleiman Mafara, who disclosed this in Lokoja, on the receipt of the distress call, his men of the Disaster and Crisis Unit, in conjunction with the Federal Road Safety Corps and volunteer divers, were mobilised to the scene.

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He said that four corpses have been recovered, while 13 passengers were rescued alive. One person is still missing, he said.

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He added that his men and other security personnel were working to recover the only person yet to be accounted for.

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 The recovered bodies have been deposited in a morgue in Lokoja. He added.

He warned drivers and commuters to adhere strictly to road safety guidelines to prevent avoidable carnage on the highways.