It was a tragic Monday morning in Kogi State, where a truck carrying building materials crushed four schoolchildren and injured several others in Egbolo, Igalamela-Odolu Local Government Area.
The accident occurred at about 8:30 a.m. Villagers wailed uncontrollably as the bodies of the victims were pulled from under the truck.
The pupils were reportedly on their way from Egbolo to Ofuloko when the truck lost control while struggling to climb a hill on the Idah route.
Residents who barricaded the road expressed anger and frustration, lamenting that the community lacks a functional school forcing their children to trek long distances through dangerous routes just to attend classes in neighbouring villages.
One grieving parent who lost his son accused the government of abandoning Egbolo for years. He appealed for urgent intervention to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Arise News correspondent at the scene reports that the Federal Road Safety Corps had yet to arrive as some pupils remained trapped under the overturned vehicle at the time of filing this report.
Some of the injured children have been rushed to a nearby hospital, while the bodies of the deceased have been taken home by the community for burial.
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