Nigeria: 23 dead as truck overturns in Kano

As many as twenty-three people were killed late on February 13 when a truck carrying passengers and goods overturned in the northern Nigerian city of Kano, according to a road safety official.

The driver reportedly lost control before the vehicle plunged into an underpass in the Hotoro district, on the outskirts of Kano, said Abdullahi Labaran, spokesperson for the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the city, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The truck, which was en route from Maiduguri in the northeast to Lagos in the southwest, was carrying a mix of passengers and cargo at the time of the crash.

Labaran confirmed the tragic toll, stating, "A total of 23 fatalities have been recorded, while 48 others have sustained injuries of varying severity." He attributed the cause of the accident to reckless driving and speeding, which led to the driver losing control of the vehicle.

Nigeria's roads are notoriously hazardous, with poor maintenance and frequent violations of traffic laws contributing to a high number of accidents. Last year alone, the country recorded 9,570 road crashes, resulting in 5,421 fatalities, according to FRSC data.

By Aghakazim Guliyev