No fewer than 16 people were on Tuesday burnt to death, while three others sustained life-threatening injuries in a lone accident which occurred along the Sagamu – Abeokuta expressway.
The accident, which happened at the Muhammadu Buhari Estate axis of Kobape Village of the Obafemi – Owode Local Government Area, involved a fully loaded white Mazda commercial bus marked LAGOS: KJA 949 YJ conveying passengers to Sango – Ota from Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Public Education Officer for the Ogun Sector of the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC), Chief Route Commander Florence Okpe, who confirmed the accident, explained that the Sector Commander, Corps Commander Akinwumi Fasakin, personally led the rescue team to the accident scene only to discover that genders of the victims could not be ascertained “because they were burnt beyond recognition”.
Okpe explained that the ill-fated passengers’ bus experienced a sudden explosion, possibly triggered by a filled gas cylinder among the luggage being conveyed to their final destination in Sango—Ota, in the Ado—Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.
“The suspected cause of the crash was a fire outbreak in the vehicle with a filled gas cylinder, which led to the explosion”.
“The injured victims were taken to Federal Medical Centre, Idi Aba, Abeokuta, while the corpses are still at the scene waiting for evacuation”.
“The Sector Commander, Ogun Sector Command, CC Akinwumi Fasakin, quickly moved to the crash scene with his team for the rescue operation, but he was not pleased with the occurrence because of the carelessness on the part of the driver.
“The driver should have objected to carrying a cylinder filled with gas because highly flammable items should be transported carefully and by designated vehicles driven by trained drivers only”.
