Tragedy struck early Saturday morning along the Benin-Auchi highway as 12 passengers were burnt to death in a fatal collision between a Toyota Hiace bus and a truck.

The Edo State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Cyril Mathew, confirmed the incident, which occurred around 5 a.m. at Igueoviobo community, near an army checkpoint on the highway, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.

According to Mathew, the bus which departed from Zuba in the Federal Capital Territory, en-routing Benin, collided head-on with an oncoming truck heading towards Auchi.

Following the impact, the bus was engulfed in flames, making it impossible to rescue any of the victims.

“The entire occupants of the bus were killed in the crash,” he stated.

He stated that driver fatigue might have been a contributing factor, as the driver could have dozed off behind the wheel, leading to the tragic accident.

Mathew noted that FRSC officials were able to identify the deceased through the vehicle’s passenger manifest and had since contacted their families.

He further disclosed that the truck driver and his assistant, commonly referred to as the “Motor Boy,” escaped unhurt.