Five students of the Federal University Lokoja and a driver died when an articulated vehicle rammed into the varsity’s shuttle bus.

The bus was conveying the students to the institution’s Felele campus in Lokoja, Kogi State.

An eyewitness said the accident occurred at about 2.30 pm on Monday.

The witness Suleiman Ovurevu explained that the articulated vehicle was carrying wood and hundreds of jerry cans of palm oil heading to the Abuja axis.

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He said the driver lost control and rammed into the shuttle bus filled up with students.

The university shuttle bus was crushed by the articulated vehicles as motorists and passengers travelling along the highway were stranded.

The Kogi State Sector Commandant of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Samuel Oyedeji led his team to the scene of the accident. But he could not ascertain the fatalities.

He, however, said those who were injured have been moved to the Federal Teaching Hospital, and the Kogi State Specialist Hospital both in Lokoja for treatment.

The corpses of those who died have been deposited in the morgue for identification.

Later in the day, the school confirmed the death of the students, declaring mourning.

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the tragic loss of five of our promising students, who were taken away from us too soon in a fatal trailer accident,” the school’s Deputy Registrar of Human Resources Vincent Ojo in a statement.