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Ben Dunno, Warri with agency report
Eight persons, including a four year- old-boy, were killed in a fatal motor accident that occurred on Tuesday night along the Asaba- Benin expressway by Issele Azagba/Akwukwu Igbo junction in Delta State.
The accident, which claimed the life of an 18-seater bus driver and his conductor, also took the lives of five other passengers on board the commercial bus.
Meanwhile, four other passengers who survived the fatal accident were immediately rushed to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Asaba, where they are currently receiving treatment. Three passersby along the highway were the incident occurred were also reported to have sustained injuries and were also being treated in hospitals close to the scene of the accident.
Sources close to the scene of the incident disclosed that the accident occurred as a result of a brake malfunction of the long truck conveying a brand of beer to the eastern part of the country. The driver of the truck was said to have lost control and in the process crashed into a moving 18-seater bus loaded with passengers, who were going to enjoy the festive period with their loved ones, from behind. The impact of the truck was reported to have forcefully pushed the commercial bus off the major road and it somersaulted severally before catching fire. Many of the victims, who suffered first-degree burns, from the fire died in the process.
Speaking with journalists, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) officials and some policemen, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the accident as pathetic, disclosing that it occurred few meters from the Issele Azagba military checkpoint. He added that they had tried to rescue the passengers of the 18-seater bus to no avail.
One of the passengers, who was seriously injured and was rushed to Mother and Child Hospital in Ubulu Okoti earlier, Chinoye Mbaram, said that the driver of the truck seemed to have been drunk the way he drove into their bus unexpectedly, adding that she survived by the mercy of God Almighty. Also in the early hours of the Christmas day, another accident was recorded before Umunede when two trucks collided with the goods worth millions of naira destroyed in both trucks and two persons were critically wounded.
The incident was said to have caused traffic bottleneck for several hours before the situation was cleared by officials of the FRSC, who had been monitoring traffic on the Asaba-Benin expressway in the last three weeks.
Sources said that within three days now, the road had recorded four serious accidents as most vehicles involved were coming from Lagos, thereby making the expressway very busy with dangers of violating the highway rules, especially the lawless commercial bus drivers, driving in reckless manner almost all the time. Similarly, two pedestrians were killed by a Honda Sports Utility Vehicle, which was driven against the traffic around Ibafo area on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Christmas Day.
Clement Oladele, Ogun Sector Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), said yesterday that three others were injured in the accident.
Oladele said that a Honda Element SUV, with registration number KSF 946 DB, was driven against the traffic and knocked down two pedestrians waiting to board a commercial bus, killing them instantly and injuring three others.
The FRSC official attributed the cause of the accident to route violation and speeding leading to loss of control.
“The bodies of the victims have been deposited at Fakoya Hospital, Sagamu, while the survivors are receiving treatment at Idera Hospital, Sagamu, Ogun State,’’ he said.
Oladele advised motorists to desist from driving against traffic and adhere strictly to traffic rules and regulations to avoid unnecessary loss of lives and property.
