10 persons have died and vehicles burnt, on Thursday, after a truck was gutted by fire on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The incident which happened at Araromi Town, before the inter-change, however, led to a traffic gridlock that trapped motorists, commuters and other road users.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the incident which happened around 5am forced motorists to ply alternative routes as some drivers seized the opportunity to drive against the traffic (One-Way) which aggravated the situation along the axis.
Confirming the incident, the Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun State, Ahmed Umar, confirmed the incident to journalists in Abeokuta.
Umar said that the accident occurred around Conoil in Araromi before Sagamu Interchange on the expressway.
According to him, five vehicles were burnt in the raging inferno, adding that the victims of the multiple accidents were burnt beyond recognition.
According to him, the vehicles involved in the accident are: a Mack truck marked AKL 198 ZT; an Iveco truck with no registration number; a Mazda bus marked FFE 361 XB, an unmarked Howo truck and the Mack tanker.
He attributed the cause of the accident to speeding by the driver of the Iveco truck.
“Driver of the Iveco truck, who was travelling on top speed lost control and rammed into the tanker, which resulted to fire outbreak due to leakage,” he added.
He added that the Mazda bus was engulfed by the fire, saying that all those that died were in the bus.
“The suspected cause of the multiple crashes was excessive speed which led to the loss of control on the part of the Iveco truck and smashed the tanker body which resulted in a fire outbreak due to leakage.
“The Mazda bus got engulfed in the spark of the fire,” Umar said.
He added that the deceased were taken to the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital in Sagamu.
Umar, after visiting the scene of the accident, commiserated with the families of the victims.
Earlier, Ogun State Command of FRSC had issued travel advisory, informing the motoring public to avoid the axis due to the tanker explosion at the early hours in the morning to reduce the chaotic situation.
According to the statement by the sector’s command, “Motorists are advised to ply alternative routes to avoid unnecessary delay.
“The rescue operation is still on and people involved yet to be confirmed because a bus is also involved.
“The crash scene conned to avoid secondary crash, traffic has been diverted.
“Motorists are advised to remain calm and cooperate with traffic managers managing the situation.”
It was further gathered that motorists as of 7am were caught up in the gridlock as long queues of vehicles stretched far along the Lagos Expressway on both sides of the road.
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