No fewer than 10 persons including women and children were burnt to death in a ghastly road accident that occurred at Ile-ife, Osun State on Sunday. The accident occurred in front of a filling station, few metres away from the popular Mayfair roundabout, when an oncoming 18-seater commercial bus collided with an oil tanker. The tanker, eyewitnesses said, was making a u-turn.
Daily Times correspondent gathered that the accident occurred around 12:00 pm. The 18-seater bus was a white Urvan bus with Lagos Registration Number: MUS 702 XH. It was gathered that the bus was coming from Ondo State. When our correspondent got the scene of the incident, a majority of the deceased were burnt beyond recognition.
At the scene of the accident, people were using axes to remove the carcass of the deceased from the bus. It was learnt that 18-seater commercial bus also carried some heavy metal objects which reportedly compounded the injuries of the victims.
Eyewitnesses said three passengers were said to have been rescued and taken alive to Seventh-Day Adventist Private Hospital, but one of them was reported dead on arrival. One of the eyewitnesses, Oladele Mutiu, blamed speeding for the cause of the accident.
He explained that bus, which was heading to Ibadan, had wanted to take over from the truck when the accident happened. Mutiu said that the extent of the damage was due to lack of quick response from the firefighter that allowed the vehicle explodes and the passengers burnt beyond recognition.
“The passengers tried all possible means to escape, but the flame of fire from the bus shocked them to death,” he added. Neither rescue team, security personnel nor Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) was met at the scene. The Osun State Police Command confirmed the incident, saying ten passengers died.
The Police in a statement said, “A Fatal motor accident occurred along Ile-Ife /Ibadan road opposite Energy Petrol Station, Ife involving one Toyota Hiace bus driven by Najimu Akanni (male) and Iveco half trailer with registration number, YNF 328 XA. The driver name and address yet unknown.
“The bus was coming from Ore heading towards lbadan on getting to Ife, the said trailer was making a u-turn and the bus ran into it, as a result, the said bus burst into fire. Six females and four males died on the spot. There corpses are deposited at OAUTHC Ile-Ife mortuary for autopsy. “Two males sustained serious injury. They are receiving treatment at the OAUTHC Ile-Ife. Efforts are on to remove the accident vehicles from the scene.”