Woman, 2 Children Burnt To Death In Autocrash

​In the wake of hustling and bustling that precedents Christmas celebration, a woman and her two children were on Thursday burnt to death in an accident, at the Ewekoro end of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Ogun State, after their vehicle somersaulted.

Two other occupants of the Lexus Jeep, the family vehicle, were said to be in a critical condition at the Ijaiye General Hospital.

The family were reportedly travelling for Christmas when the driver, who was at top speed, ran into a bad portion of the road.

The driver was said to have lost control as the vehicle somersaulted and subsequently burst into flames.

An eyewitness, who identified himself only as Fajani, said the deceased were burnt beyond recognition.

“The accident happened this morning (Thursday) in front of Lafarge Cement gate due to the bad road. They were a family going home for Christmas; but they ended the journey of their lives on the road. There were only three survivors– the driver, husband, and one young girl. The wife and children were all burnt to ashes,” he said in a post on social media.

Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Itori unit, responded to the emergency but they were initially attacked by a mob that faulted them for arriving late.

The officials were said to have retreated to reinforce before they could gain access to the scene.

An FRSC official, who did not want to be identified, said the accident happened around 10am.

He said, “There were five people in the vehicle and they were heading towards Lagos. It appeared they were coming from Abeokuta. When they got to the Ewekoro end of the expressway, the driver lost control of the Jeep after running into a bad portion of the road. I believe he did not know the road well.

“It is, however, not clear if they had a combustible material in the vehicle because no sooner than the accident happened that the vehicle burst into flames.

“A woman and two children were burnt to death, while two others were rescued and taken to a hospital for treatment.”