An eight-month-old baby and seven others died on Monday night in an auto crash in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. Many people were injured and property worth millions of Naira destroyed.

The accident was said to have occurred near Agba Dam/CBN Quarters Road in the metropolis. 

Sources said the accident was caused by brake failure.

The Police Command’s spokesman, Dabo Ezekiel, confirmed the accident. He  said the police could only confirm three deaths.

Eyewitness said the crash occurred when a lorry carrying concrete blocks  lost control at a sharp bend on the Agba Dam/CBN Quarters Road.

The lorry reportedly ran into a vehicle from the opposite direction before crushing the row of shops on the adjacent road, killing three of the passengers and five occupants of the shops.

They said the young mother of the baby, an apprentice-seamstress in one of the affected shops, survived the crash.

The woman, who was said to have been rushed to an undisclosed hospital, has not been able to talk since the accident occurred. 

Armed policemen prevented the driver of the lorry from being lynched by a mob.