Tragedy: Eight people including Pastors wife with 3 children & 4 others died in auto crash

  TRAGEDY struck, Saturday
night, as at least eight persons including a
Pastor’s wife, Pastor (Mrs) Hellen Samuel,
her three children, Saviour, Ensigne and
Purity, were reportedly killed in an auto
crash in Katagbegi village of Niger State.
The accident occured when the bus owned
by the Niger State Transport Authority they
were travelling in ran into an articulated
truck at a bad spot along Bida-Minna road.
The family of Pastor Abraham Samuel of
the PotterPorchChurch, Minna and the
other passengers in the bus were said to be
travelling from Lagos to Minna when the
crash occured at about 8pm, Saturday
night.
The bus, according to eyewitness, was said
to have caught fire shortly after the
accident, thereby making rescue efforts
difficult.
It was, however, gathered that only one
passenger was rescued alive with serious
burns.
Special Adviser to the Niger State
Government on Emergency and Disaster
Management, Mohammed Shaba,
confirmed that the eight bodies had been
recovered from the scene of the accident,
even though the bus was believed to be
carrying 18 passengers at the time of the
accident.
Shaba said corpses of the deceased had
been deposited at the Minna
GeneralHospital.
The passengers were said to have been
burnt in the vehicle because the local
people that rushed for the rescue efforts
lacked the capacity to curtail the fire.
Our correspondent who went to the church
met the Pastor preaching during yesterdy’s
church service after which he announced
the demise of his wife and three children.
Members of the church screamed at the
news but the Pastor remained calm with
elders of the church around him.

According to Pastor Samuel who, however,
maintained sober mood “My wife and the
kids are resting.”