No fewer than 12 passengers have been burnt to death in a motor accident involving a truck and a bus along the Benin-Auchi highway.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Edo sector commander, Cyril Mathew, said the incident occurred around 5 am on Saturday at Igueoviobo community, near an army checkpoint on the highway.
Matthew noted that the Toyota Hiace bus, which departed Zuba in Abuja en route to Benin, collided with an oncoming truck going to Auchi, causing it to go up in flames.
“The entire occupant of the bus were killed in the crash,” NAN quoted Mathew to have said.
“The accident likely resulted from fatigue, as the driver may have dozed off, leading to the collision.”
He said the FRSC personnel were able to identify the deceased through the vehicle’s manifest and had since contacted their families.
The FRSC boss, who urged drivers to avoid fatigue while on long journeys, added that the truck driver and his assistant escaped unhurt.
In a related development, two yet-to-be-identified persons lost their lives in an accident on Saturday night along the Sagamu-Ikorodu Expressway.
According to the Commandant General of the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, Seni Ogunyemi, several people were injured in the crash.
Ogunyemi said a DAF truck suffered a brake failure, causing it to hit two cars from the rear.
The impact of the collision caused the cars to ram under another truck ahead of them.
He said, “A reported case of a fatal road traffic accident just occurred at Ogijo, in front of Ile Oba, on the Sagamu-Ikorodu Highway, inbound Sagamu, involving a DAF truck, a Mack truck, a Solara jeep, and a Toyota Camry.
“The DAF truck suffered a brake failure, hitting the two cars from behind and forcing them under a moving Mack truck. In the process, many were injured, and two were presumed dead.
“The presumed dead were taken to the General Hospital morgue in Ikorodu, while the injured were rushed to the Health Centre in Ogijo.”
Ogunyemi noted that the accident had caused heavy traffic in the area while stressing that emergency responders were working to clear the scene.
“Traffic is seriously affected. TRACE operatives and Papa Oscar (police) are on the ground managing the situation. Tow services have been contacted for the quick evacuation of the accident vehicles,” Ogunyemi concluded.
