The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ondo State Command, reported that no fewer than 16 people were burned to death and five others injured in a tragic road accident that occurred on Tuesday night.
Samuel Ibitoye, the Ondo State Sector Commander of the FRSC, confirmed the incident to newsmen on Wednesday. The accident happened at about 8 pm at Ajue village, located between Ondo and Ore, in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state.
According to Ibitoye, two vehicles were involved in the fatal crash: a commercial Toyota Hiace bus and a MAN Diesel truck. The fully loaded bus was traveling from Lagos to the northern part of Nigeria when the incident occurred.
Ibitoye noted that it took the FRSC about four hours to clear the scene of the accident due to the severity of the crash and the resulting fire. Preliminary investigations suggest that the accident was caused by excessive speeding and wrongful overtaking. Ibitoye also mentioned the possibility that one of the vehicles might have been carrying fuel, which could have contributed to the intensity of the fire.
“Three male adults were seriously injured, two had minor injuries, and 16 people were burned beyond recognition,” Ibitoye stated. “Though investigation on the cause of the accident has not been concluded, preliminary investigation indicated high speeding, wrongful overtaking, and, possibly, one of them carried fuel inside the vehicle.”
He added that the injured have been taken to Ore General Hospital for treatment, while the corpses were released to the Hausa community in the area for burial on Wednesday morning.
Ibitoye appealed to motorists to adhere strictly to traffic rules and regulations to avoid such tragic accidents. “And they should not carry fuel inside their vehicles, because when there is a crash, the fuel explodes and burns everybody badly,” he warned.
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