No fewer than 11 people were yesterday burnt to death in an auto crash which occurred at the Macmillan area, few metres before Soka bus stop on Ibadan/Lagos Expressway.
It was learnt that the commercial bus was coming from Ogido in Ogun State and heading to Beere in Ibadan to attend a Wolimat programme of a family member with most of the victims dressed in a uniform made of Ankara for the occasion.
According to an eyewitness, the propeller of the bus pulled out and hit the fuel tank, igniting a fire in the process.
The driver of the bus in an attempt to save situation veered off the road and hit a heap of sand by the side of the road which immediately halted the bus , but while the driver of the bus and the two passengers in the front escaped, others were not so lucky as the side door of the bus was locked. The occupants were reported to have impeded one another in their panic to get out and this caused the high casualty figure.
Of the 11 that died, three were children, while 13 others who sustained various degrees of burns, including the driver, were taken to the Adeoyo Hospital and UCH, Ibadan.
The Assistant Corps Commander and Unit Commander Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Oluyole Ibadan/Lagos toll gate, Mr Adeoye Sanya, confirmed the incident, saying that “the FRSC was informed of the accident around 1pm that an Ibadan-bound bus from Lagos was involved in an accident.
“However, I can confirm to you that the bus was badly loaded and from the report of the victims -both survivals and the dead- 13 were injured and 11 were burnt to death; the claim can be established. The driver is among the four male victims taken to the Adeoyo Hospital while nine others – seven adults and two children – were taken to the University College Hospital (UCH).”
Sanya said after being informed of the development, the FRSC quickly deployed its officials to evacuate some of the victims to the hospitals.
The remains of the 11 victims were taken away in sacks by the men of the FRSC in two vans with registration number FRSC 522 RS and FRSC 525 RS.
Meanwhile, a middle-aged man who was among onlookers at the scene collapsed when men of the FRSC were pulling out the scarred bodies from the bus. It took the intervention of some of his colleagues who poured water on his face to revive him.
May d Almighty God continue 2 guide & protect us in all our journey in life.