The Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency has confirmed the death of 18 passengers in a tragic accident along the Ijebu-Ode/Ore expressway, in the Ogbere area of Ijebu East Local Government. The accident involved a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number XA 690 AKU, which caught fire, leaving the passengers burnt beyond recognition.
The Traffic Compliance Public Relations Officer, Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed the incident in a statement from Abeokuta, the state capital. According to the report, the accident was caused by an inferno resulting from petroleum motor spirit (PMS) stored in a jerrycan inside the bus.
Akinbiyi explained, “An eyewitness account, corroborated by the driver, revealed that there was a keg full of PMS inside the bus. The keg tipped over when the vehicle reached a damaged portion of the road, spilling the petrol on the floor of the bus. The fuel eventually reached the exhaust pipe, igniting the fire while the vehicle was in motion.”
One person, the partially burnt and injured driver, survived and was rushed to Rona Hospital in Ijebu Ode, while the bodies of the deceased were deposited at the State Hospital Mortuary in Ijebu Ode.
The Ogun State Traffic Compliance has advised drivers to refrain from transporting fuel in jerrycans to avoid similar disasters. The agency expressed condolences to the families of the deceased, emphasizing the need for safety precautions on the roads.
