16 burnt to death in Ondo auto crash

No fewer than 16 people have lost their lives in a fatal auto crash that occurred on Tuesday night in Odigbo Local Council Area of Ondo State.

The victims who were burned to death in the accident that happened along the busy Ore-Ondo highway at the Ajue axis were passengers of a Toyota Hiace 18-seater passenger bus.

According to sources, the passenger bus on top speed, had a head-on collision with a heavy-duty truck that left the commercial bus engulfed in flames.

With three injured in the fatal crash, one of the sources, who identified himself as Akinsanmi, disclosed that the passenger bus was travelling at high speed when it attempted to overtake another vehicle, leading to a direct collision with the oncoming truck.

He said: “The driver of the bus was overspeeding when he overtook a vehicle in front of him. But when he realised that it was too late for him to make it, he could not avoid the truck and rammed into it.

“The impact was so severe that it resulted in an immediate fire, trapping many passengers inside the vehicle.”

While confirming the accident, the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the state, Samuel Ibitoye, attributed the cause of the accident to overspeeding and wrongful overtaking.

The Sector Commander, who urged motorists to adopt a defensive driving approach, stressed the need for not just obeying speed limits but also drivers to be aware and always alert of other vehicles’ movements on the road.

Ibitoye, who stated that two individuals survived the accident, said the response and rescue operation ended at 11:00 pm.

He said: “While we are still gathering all the facts, early indications revealed the need for optimal caution among drivers. Overspeeding is a major cause of accidents on Nigerian roads.”