Abuja truck explosion death toll rises to eight

The FCT Emergency Management Department has confirmed that eight persons have died following an accident involving a Compressed Natural Gas-laden truck and multiple vehicles near Karu Bridge along the Abuja l-Kwffi Expressway on Wednesday evening.

The Acting Director General of the FEMD, Abdulrahman Mohammed, gave the update on Thursday while speaking with pressmen at the scene of the incident.

Recall that the FCT Police Command, in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, had confirmed that six persons died in the accident, while 14 vehicles were burnt.

The FEMD boss, however, disclosed that of the six, four were burnt beyond recognition, adding that two of the other rescued victims died on Thursday morning, bringing the total number of dead victims to eight.

“Five people were taken dead from the scene yesterday. Out of the people that were injured, one died, making six. Then this morning, when I asked my people to go round, they discovered that two had already died again, making eight. Four of them from yesterday were burnt beyond recognition.”, he explained.

He added that 30 others were receiving treatments across various hospitals in the FCT.

Mohammed said eight of the victims were receiving treatments at the Karu General Hospital, 10 at the Customs Hospital, 11 at the National Hospital, while one victim was at the Aso Clinic, making a total of 30.

“And the places where you would find people are Customs Hospital, we have National Hospital and Aso Clinic. I have instructed them to go to Asokoro Hospital and see whether they carried some people there again. But now, this is the information I have at this time,” he said.