No fewer than eight persons have been confirmed dead in an accident at Elete along Ajaokuta-Lokoja road in Kogi State.

Daily Trust learnt the accident, which occurred around 5pm on Thursday, involved a truck carrying crushed stones.

The state Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr Steven Daolu, confirmed the incident, saying that seven of the victims died on the spot while one died shortly after arriving at the hospital.

Daolu added that the women who died in the accident were believed to be labourers working at a nearby quarry site, that they were given a lift by the truck carrying stones which suddenly lost control and crashed.

"The truck driver carried stones and human beings on top of his truck. When he lost control and stumbled, the stones and the truck fell on top of the passengers.

"This actually cost the death of the passengers in the truck," he said.

The sector commander said his men who rushed to the scene of the incident rescued six other women trapped under stones.

The state FRSC Boss said the injured were taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja for treatment while corpses of the victims were deposited in the morgue of the same hospital.

He urged drivers to avoid over speeding, stressing that driving at night should also be discouraged.