Passengers escape death as bus rams into cattle on Ekiti highway

Four commuters yesterday sustained severe injuries in an accident involving a commercial bus and herds of cattle at a steep portion of Efon Alaaye-Esa Oke highway, close to the border between Ekiti and Osun states.

The herdsmen were said to have occupied the road with their cows, when the vehicle said to be on top speed, ran into the cows killing seven of them in the process.

The Nissan Mazda bus somersaulted into the ditch where four wounded persons were brought out of the bus alongside other occupants.

An eyewitness told journalists in Ado Ekiti that seven cows were killed and that death could have been recorded but for the swift response by operatives of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) who evacuated the victims.

The source explained that the bus was coming at a high speed and was negotiating a bend very close to Ita Ore Junction in Efon Alaaye when it suddenly ran into the cattle numbering over 1,000. He said the driver of the bus lost control and rammed into the moving cattle before he swerved off the road and plunged into a ditch.

The FRSC Public Relations Officer in Ekiti, Mr. Mohammed Olowo, confirmed the story. Olowo said only one person was wounded contrary to the eyewitness account, which stated four.

“It was even a surprise to many that nobody died owing to the severity of the accident, but seven cows died during the collision,” he said.