Breaking: Container truck crushes bus load of students

Abiodun Onafuye/ Abeokuta

A container truck crushed a fully loaded bus today on Sagamu Benin expressway, killing 12 occupants of the vehicle.

The accident happened at Ilishan Remo/Sagamu Junction of Sagamu/Benin Expressway around midday.

The occupants of the bus were mainly students of Olabisi Onabanjo Umiversity,OOU,Ago Iwoye. They were on their way to Sango-Otta.

An eyewitness, Commander Tommy Hamzat,the Commander of the TRACE,Ijebu Command told our correspondent that the truck driver drove against the traffic and ran into the bus.

There were only three survivors in the bus.

“I was coming from Sagamu side and saw the accident. I have to hurriedly park my car,run there to see if the passengers could be rescued but unfortunately all the occupants were dead including the driver.

“The bus was facing Lagos,though,I don’t know where it was coming from. The container truck with no load in it was coming from Sagamu side but was driving against the traffic and that resulted in the collision,which eventually claimed the lives of the innocent people”,he explained.

Later Friday, Mr Abdullahi Lawal, the FRSC Sagamu unit Commander, who confirmed the accident, said 15 persons were affected.

According to him, while 12 of them died, three were seriously injured.

“We went to the scene and met the crash which involved a truck carrying a container and a commercial bus.

“Three of them were rescued and taken to the hospital, the remaining 12 were killed.

“We could not find the driver of the truck, we assumed that he ran off when the accident happened.

“Eye witnesses said the truck was driving against traffic. It happened in Ijebu Ode- Sagamu side of the road

“We recovered the manifest of the vehicle, we discovered that the vehicle loaded from Ago-Iwoye and was heading to Sango Ota.

“All the recovered items, including the original copy of the manifest, are with the police.’’

The commander said the corpses were deposited at Fakoya Mortuary in Sagamu while the injured were taken to Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu.

The remains of the deceased have been taken to the mortuary at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital,OOUTH,Sagamu.

*Story Updated at 23.00 with the comments of the FRSC commander in Sagamu