No less than 7 persons were reportedly burnt to death while 18 others sustained varying degrees of injuries in a road crash along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on Thursday.
It was gathered that the accident occurred on the Sapaade bridge along the highway at about 9:21am, involving a Toyota Sienna marked BWR762PV and a Mazda bus with registration number BDN18 LG.
According to eyewitnesses, the driver of the Sienna bus was driving against traffc and in the process collided with the Mazda, which ignited fire.
The Spokesman of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Florence Okpe, confirmed the incident to newsmen in Abeokuta, on Thursday.
Okpe said a total of 27 persons – 25 male adults, two female adults and one female child – were involved in the crash, out of which seven persons died while 18 sustained injuries.
“A total of seven persons were burnt beyond recognition,” she said.
The FRSC spokesman blamed the accident on “excessive speed and route violation on the part of the (driver of) sienna bus who followed one way and collided with the Mazda bus and unfortunately there was a fire outbreak.”
Okpe said the injured victims had been taken to Victory Hospital, Ogere, Idera Hospital, Sagamu, for medical treatment, while remains of the deceased were deposited at FOS Morgue at Ipara.
She quoted the Sector Commander, Ahmed Umar, to have cautioned motorists “on the dangers of route violation and excessive speed,” urging them to drive cautiously and consider other road users.
Okpe added that Umar commiserated with the family of the victims and advised them to contact FRSC Ogere for more information about the crash.