Kaduna — Two officials of the Kaduna State Bureau for Religious Affairs and nine other indigenes of the state died Sunday in an auto crash on their way to Senegal to celebrate the annual Mauld Nabiyi and witness the commissioning of the Sheikh Ibrahim Kaulaha Mosque.

The Acting Permanent Secretary of the Bureau Barrister Hassan Mohammed Lawal told newsmen in Kaduna Tuesday, "We don't know the exact town where the accident occurred, but we were told that it was about 150 kilometres to Senegal. We were told that a truck collided with their vehicle. The front tires of the truck burst and the driver lost control. Eleven of them died instantly, including the driver," he said.

He said those who died include two officials of the bureau. They were 15 in the vehicle. It was gathered that 11 of them died on the spot while the remaining four sustained various degrees of injury and were rushed to a hospital. Barrister Hassan said they had since been buried according to Islamic rites.