Four people, including two children, have died following a road accident involving a commercial tricycle and a water tanker at Kanani Academy junction, behind the All Progressives Congress square in Gombe State.

The crash occurred on Tuesday and involved eight occupants: two adult men, two boys and four girls, according to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Sector Commander in the state, Mr Samson Kaura.

Mr Kaura said preliminary accounts from eyewitnesses indicated that the tricycle, popularly known as Keke Napep, struck the water tanker from behind.

He explained that FRSC personnel did not conduct the initial rescue operation because the command received information about the incident late. However, officers visited the hospitals where the victims had been taken for medical attention.

The sector commander confirmed that four occupants died, while two others sustained injuries. The remaining two passengers, both adult men, escaped unhurt.

However, the reported breakdown of the injured victims contained inconsistencies, as the details listed three people despite the stated total of two injured persons. The victims were reportedly taken to the Federal Teaching Hospital and the Specialist Hospital in Gombe for treatment.

Schoolchildren from Government Day Secondary School, Ahmadu Gombe; Government Day Junior Secondary School, Jekadafari, under the Universal Basic Education programme; and Jekadafari Primary School were among those involved in the incident.

The circumstances surrounding the crash have not been fully established in the available account.