Six journalists of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and a staff member of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) have been confirmed dead, while four others sustained injuries in a fatal road accident involving a bus conveying media workers in Gombe State.
The deceased were identified as Manu Kwami (Manager, Administration), Zarah Umar (Manager, News), Isa (Editor), Musa Tabra (Retired Manager, News), Aminu (Driver), Adams (StarTimes), and Judith (SUBEB).
Those who sustained varying degrees of injuries were identified as Emmanuel Akila, Steven Doddo, Nina Gadal, and Jonathan Bara.
It was gathered that the victims were part of a delegation travelling to honour an NTA colleague who was getting married in the Gombe South Senatorial District.
Confirming the incident, the Gombe State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Samson Kaura, said a total of 11 persons were involved in the accident.
Kaura disclosed that seven occupants died on the spot, while four others sustained injuries while returning from the event.
“From the information available to us, 11 people were involved in the crash. Sadly, seven of them died instantly, while four others sustained injuries,” he said.
According to him, preliminary findings indicated that the accident was a lone crash suspected to have been caused by a tyre burst.
“It is a lone accident, and from what we have gathered so far, it is very fatal. Although investigations are still ongoing, we suspect it may have been a tyre burst. The driver may have applied the brakes suddenly, which caused the vehicle to somersault,” Kaura stated.
He added that FRSC rescue teams were immediately deployed to the scene and that rescue and recovery operations were ongoing as of the time of filing this report.
“Our officers are still on the ground carrying out rescue operations. A comprehensive report will be released after the exercise is concluded,” he said.
The sector commander further confirmed that the injured victims had been taken to nearby health facilities for medical attention, while investigations had commenced to determine the exact cause of the crash.
