by Oge Okonkwo

The 15 persons who were killed in Saturday’s automobile accident in  Barkin Ladi local government area of Plateau state are to be laid to rest in a mass burial ceremony which will take place on Tuesday.

A commercial vehicle ran into a group of  youths who were on their routine early morning excersise claiming the lives of 15 people and leaving about 8 of them seriously  injured, and are still receiving treatment at the Jos university teaching hospital.

Channels TV reports:

The Tundun Maza community in Barkin Ladi local government area got what it never imagined for a weekend as fifteen youths who are members of the boys’ and girls’ brigade from three churches within the locality comprising Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), Assemblies of God Church and Baptist Church were crushed to death by a commercial vehicle while the youths were on a weekly keep fit training routine on Saturday.

According to eye witness, after the incident, the Barkin Ladi general hospital was jam-packed as families and relatives of the victims gathered to see their wards as they were being attended to by the medical personnel.

However, angry youths from the community barricaded the highway linking Barkin Ladi and Jos thereby causing traffic jam along the highway and it took the intervention of community leaders and members representing the constituency several hours to persuade the aggrieved youths before they vacated the highway.