ABUJA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Eighteen people lost their lives when a bus in which they were travelling was involved in a road accident in central Nigeria, local road safety police said on Tuesday.
Six others are still receiving treatment at a local hospital after sustaining varying degrees of injuries following the accident on Sunday in the central Nigerian state of Nasarawa.
The Federal Road Safety Corps said 13 persons had earlier died on the spot when the commuter bus rammed into an oncoming truck along the Akwanga-Nasarawa Eggon federal highway in central Nigeria.
Five out of the earlier injured 11 victims had died on as of Monday evening, while receiving treatment at the hospital, said Ismaila Kugu, state commander of the road safety police in Nasarawa.
An investigation has been launched into the incident, Kugu said.
He urged drivers to exercise caution and patience while plying the route because of its narrow and rough nature.
Kugu also told vehicle owners to give more attention to the maintenance of their vehicles, especially trucks in order to avert some of the accidents.
On September 9, a similar road accident had occurred in the same axis, resulting in the death of at least 11 persons.
Deadly road accidents are frequently reported in Nigeria often caused by overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving.
