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By Ayobami Ife, Abeokuta
An auto crash involving a lone bus at Muhammadu Buhari Estate, along the Abeokuta-Sagamu expressway, Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Tuesday afternoon has left 16 people dead and three other persons with varying degrees of injuries.
The crash which involved a Mazda bus marked KJA949YJ and carrying a filled gas cylinder caught fire while in motion, triggering a huge explosion and inferno that burned 16 people beyond recognition out the of 21 occupants of the ill – fated bus.
Operatives of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps(TRACE) and passers – by were seen making frantic efforts to contain the fire, rescue victims and direct traffic.
The TRACE spokesperson, Babatunde Akintunde, citing eyewitness account, said the bus leaving Abeokuta was carrying 21 passengers, adding that due to excessive speed, it somersaulted into the bush after it hit the road median and caught fire.
He attributed the fire to the filled gas cylinders in the bus.
He stated, “15 passengers were burnt beyond recognition while 5 were critically injured. However, the driver of the bus was not hurt but he is been detained at the State Motor Traffic Division (MTD) Ibara Abeokuta.
“While TRACE, FRSC and the POLICE commiserate with the families of the deceased, drivers are again warned against excessive in view of its attendant consequences.”
Also, Chief Route Commander and Public Education Officer, FRSC, Ogun State Command, Florence Okpe, who confirmed this on behalf of the Sector Commander, Akinwumi Fasakin, identified fire outbreak in the bus and subsequent explosion of the filled gas cylinder as the cause of the fatal crash.
She said, “A total of 21 people were involved in the crash. The genders of the victims couldn’t be ascertained at the scene because they were burnt beyond recognition. A total of 16 people were killed in the crash while 3 sustained various degree of injuries. The injured victims were taken to Federal Medical Centre, Idi Aba, Abeokuta while the corpses are still at the scene waiting for evacuation..
“The suspected cause of the crash was fire outbreak in the vehicle that was also having a filled gas cylinder in it, which led to the explosion
“The Sector Commander, Ogun Sector Command, CC Akinwumi Fasakin quickly moved to the crash scene with his team for rescue operation but he was not pleased with the occurrence that has resulted in lifes being lost, because of carelessness on the part of the driver, and it could have been avoided.
“The driver should have objected to carrying a cylinder filled with gas. He stated that highly flammable items should be transported with care and by designated vehicles driven by trained drivers only. He joined in the clearing of obstruction for free Flow of traffic. He further advised motorists and passengers to put safety first while using the roads. He sympathized with the family of the deceased and pray God comforts them.”
