Tragedy struck in Ondo State on Monday as no fewer than 11 people
were crushed to death, while five others sustained various degrees of
injury after a fully-loaded commercial bus
collided with a trailer at
the Akintelu end of the Benin-Sagamu Expressway, Daily Post reports.
A commercial bus, owned by Efex Motors, with number plate, DG 36 ASJ,
was conveying mostly guests of a wedding that held in Benin, the Edo
State capital when the accident occurred.
The driver of the Dangote vehicle, identified as Idrisu Oseni, was
reported to have immediately disappeared from the scene, along with his
assistant.
Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Ondo State command, and
policemen from the Igbotakun division, were said to have removed the
corpses from the road and deposited them in a morgue, Punch reports.
The Ondo State FRSC Sector Commander, Osas Osadebamwen, said the
accident was caused by the trailer driver, who “dangerously overtook the
Efex bus.”
He said, “The accident happened around 3.30pm on Sunday and involved a
Dangote trailer conveying bags of cement and a fully-loaded Efex Motors
Toyota Hiace bus. We gathered that most of the occupants of the bus
were returning from a wedding ceremony which held at the weekend.
“We discovered that the Dangote trailer driver travelled at top
speed. He left his lane and went to another lane. Instead of waiting for
the vehicle that was diverting, he was impatient.
“Because he was speeding, he couldn’t control the trailer. While
struggling for control, the front part of the trailer detached and slid
on the median. The trailer tyres burst into flames at that point. The
backside of the trailer went to the other side of the road, where the
Efex bus was coming from.
“In the end, 11 people died in the accident, including eight adults
and three children. Their remains have been deposited in a morgue, while
the injured were taken to the Ore General Hospital for treatment.”
The Ondo State Police Public Relations Officer, Femi Joseph,
confirmed the incident, adding that 11 people died on the spot, while
five others were in a critical condition.
He said, “The accident involved a Dangote Cement Company trailer
laden with about 900 bags of cement, and a commercial bus belonging to
Efex Motors.
“Preliminary investigations showed that the Dangote driver drove
against the traffic. He rammed into the bus and pushed it off the road,
thereby killing 11 people, including the bus driver, Ramoni Ajadi. We
have commenced investigation into the incident.”
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