23 ACCIDENT VICTIMS GET MASS BURIAL

By NBF News

Amidst tears 23 people including two school children who lost their lives in a multiple road accident involving six vehicles at Asejire, along Ibadan- Ife, the border town between Oyo and Osun States were yesterday given mass burial. They were buried few metres away from the accident scene which occurred about 6:30 p.m. on Monday.

The accident involved a Hilux SUV with registration number OSHA 34, Hummer Toyota bus with registration number XY 639 AAA, a Toyota Hiace XS 103 AKN,  Isuzu Truck number XS 449 AAA, taner lorry whose registration number had been allegedly removed by the driver and another  Mazda E2000.

Daily Sun gathered that the accident occurred as a result of reckless driving on the part of the driver who was said to be coming from Ibadan end of the expressway. He was said to have lost control while descending a sloping side of the road. The vehicle veered off its lane and in the process, ended up in the middle of the other lane and ran into an oncoming vehicle from Ife.

The tanker lorry, heavily loaded with fuel before landing, collided with a Toyota Hiace passenger's bus coming from Ife end of the expressway, trapped the 19 passengers before it eventually went up in flames.

It was gathered that about 44 people were involved in the accident, 23 people were burnt beyond recognition, five were seriously injured while the remaining victims escaped unhurt.

Daily Sun further gathered that the only victims who could be identified among the burnt victims of the accident were two children who were between the ages of two and three years.

Four policemen who were the occupants of a Toyota Hilux with registration number OSHA were lucky as they escaped before their vehicle went up in flames.

The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) Sector Commander for Oyo State, Godwin Oghagene, while speaking with journalists on the accidents, blamed the driver of the tanker for his recklessness while advising other drivers to be conscious that they were not the only road users.

Commander Oghagene confirmed that another vehicle, Mazda E2000 with four passengers ran into the tanker, killing all the occupants, adding that another vehicle with registration number XY 449 AAA, coming from Kaduna swerved to avoid running into the tanker

Officials of the FRSC were at the scene controlling traffic while also trying to remove the wreckage of the vehicles involved when Daily Sun, visited the scene.