Abeokuta, Ogun State – A devastating accident occurred on Monday along the Sagamu-Benin Expressway, claiming the lives of 18 people.
The tragic incident involved a white Toyota Hiace bus that caught fire after a keg of petrol inside the vehicle fell and poured onto the exhaust pipe, causing the bus to erupt in flames.
According to Babatunde Akinbiyi, spokesperson for the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), “The cause of the crash, according to eyewitness accounts corroborated by the driver, was that there was a keg full of PMS inside the bus which fell on its side when the vehicle got to a failed portion of the road.”
“The PMS poured on the floor of the bus and later dropped on the exhaust pipe, causing the vehicle to catch fire on transit,” Akinbiyi added.
The injured driver has been taken to Rona Hospital for medical care, while the corpses of the deceased have been deposited at the State Hospital, Ijebu Ode.
In a separate incident, a Mazda bus crashed around 6:45 pm on Monday along the Abeokuta-Siun-Sagamu expressway, leaving seven people injured.
Akinbiyi blamed the accident on excessive speeding and tyre burst, which caused the vehicle to somersault.
The injured passengers were rescued and taken to the State Hospital in Ijaye, Abeokuta.
Akinbiyi urged drivers to desist from carrying petrol in their vehicles due to the attendant risk involved.
“We commiserate with the families of the accident victims and urge drivers to be cautious on the road,” he said.
The incidents have raised concerns about road safety and the need for drivers to exercise caution while driving.
Investigations into the accidents are ongoing.
