Five persons on Friday died in an auto accident at Ogbabo village on Ajaokuta-Ayangba road in Kogi.

The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the state, Mr Olusegun Martins who confirmed the accident said two other victims sustained serious injuries in the accident.

READ ALSO: 11 dead, 23 injured in Kogi road mishap

He said that the accident which happened at about 3:30 p.m. involved two Sienna sport utility vehicles (SUV) with registration number EPE 307 XU and AK ILIKA 1 with the sticker of Nigerian Army Officers Wives Association (NAOWA) on it.

He said that the injured had been taken to a hospital in the area for treatment and the dead, deposited at a mortuary. Martins stated that investigation into the cause of the accident had commenced.

However, an eyewitness, who would not want his identity revealed, that the affected vehicles were coming from the opposite direction.

The sector said they collided when one of them was trying to avoid a deep pothole on the road.

Besides, the resulting fire from the explosion razed three shops including the gas retail shop.

The fire was said to have started from the gas retail shop located near the market after a gas cylinder fell down and spewed its content into the air, causing two smaller cylinders to fly into neighbouring buildings.

According to community sources, the gas fumes spewed into the air by the two cylinders ignited the stove used by the now deceased mother, simply identified as Ada, to prepare a meal for her children.