An early morning accident has claimed the lives of 15
youths who were jogging in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau
State. The accident occurred at about 6:30am when a Peugeot station wagon
ran into the group of youths.
Mr. Tigana Yakal who witnessed the unfortunate incident said the
youths killed in accident were among the group of 40 youths from Tudun
Mazat/Rop district of Barkin Ladi LGA who took part in the morning exercise.
He explained that the youths of the community usually
jog by the road side every Saturday morning between 5:30am and 6:30am as
a form of exercise and had been doing so for a vey long time.
However, the routine Saturday morning exercise yesterday turned
fatal, leading to the untimely death of the youths.
Tigana said the vehicle was loaded with bags of corn and heading
to Jos. A woman suspected to be the owner of the goods and the driver of the
vehicle who were not injured in the accident fled into the bush and escaped
immediately they saw what happened.
Fourteen of the victims were said to have died instantly while
another one died at the Barkin Ladi general hospital, where the other youths
who sustained injuries were also taken for treatment.
After evacuating the bodies, angry youths from Barkin Ladi
blocked the highway and immediately set the vehicle on fire.
On learning about the incident, the Plateau State Commissioner
of Health, Dr Pam Dakwak directed that the injured victims should be moved from
the Barkin Ladi hospital to the Plateau State Specialist Hospital in Jos for
better medical attention even as he ordered that the bodies of dead youths be
deposited the mortuary of the specialist hospital. .
A government source hinted that the dead victims may be given
mass burial since they hailed from the same area.
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