A father and his son have been burnt beyond recognition after the commercial tricycle conveying their family caught fire following a collision with a bus in Sabon Barki, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The crash, which occurred at about 4:20 p.m. on Sunday, also left three other persons injured, including the man’s wife, another child and the tricycle operator.
The family was reportedly returning from church when the bus collided with the tricycle, popularly known as Keke NAPEP, causing it to burst into flames.
An eyewitness, Kefas Gyang, said he arrived at the scene shortly after the crash and saw residents making frantic efforts to rescue the victims trapped inside the burning tricycle.
Gyang, who said he did not witness the collision, explained that the intensity of the fire made it impossible for rescuers to save the father and his son.
“I was passing by on my way from work when I saw people crying. I went closer to find out what had happened and saw people trying to rescue the victims.
“But the fire was too much for us to handle. It was beyond our strength, and we could not do much to rescue them from the burning tricycle,” he said.
He added that the man’s wife sustained a broken leg, while the surviving child and the tricycle operator were taken to hospital for treatment.
The eyewitness also alleged that the driver of the bus fled the scene after the accident.
Confirming the incident, the Public Education Officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Plateau State, Peter Longsan, said the injured victims had been taken to hospital.
Longsan urged motorists to exercise caution, obey traffic rules and avoid reckless driving to prevent road crashes.