Tragedy In Ondo As Over 20 Die In Fresh Auto Crash
At least 20 people were burnt alive on Tuesday evening while several others were seriously injured in a motor accident on Epinmi-Isua Akoko Road in Akoko South-East Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The police said more victims later died in the hospital where they were rushed to.
The accident, which occurred late in the evening, witnesses said, involved a 14-seater commercial bus heading towards Lagos and an unregistered vehicle going to Abuja.
A witness explained that the accident occurred when the driver of the unregistered Range Rover jeep, driven by a military officer, overtook some vehicles on the Epinmi Road and ran into the oncoming commercial bus.
He said the two vehicles caught fire immediately after the collision while most of the passengers in the commercial vehicle were trapped in the inferno.
The witness added that it took the intervention of the residents of the community to rescue some of the victims while some of the passengers were burnt beyond recognition.
He, however, said the drivers of the two vehicles survived the accident but were seriously injured and rushed to the hospital.
It was learnt that men of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) from Ikare Akoko Unit, who were alerted about the incident, immediately rushed to the scene of the accident for rescue operation.
They reportedly evacuated the bodies to Ikare-Akoko Specialist Hospital mortuary.
The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Femi Joseph, blamed the accident on reckless driving on the part of one of the drivers.
Joseph said more deaths were recorded after the initial death toll of 20 at the scene of the incident.
According to him, some of the victims died at the hospital due to the degrees of burns they sustained in the accident.
He said: “The number of people who lost their lives is over 20 and it was due to the recklessness of the driver because the Range Rover jeep involved collided with the commercial bus. It was so horrifying.”
The FRSC Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mrs. Anthonia Oni, said she was away on an official duty and could not immediately confirm the accident.
God will grant them eternal rest. However, Range Rover is not a “JEEP”. Jeep is a name of another SUV sport utility vehicle like Range Rover. Jeep is a product of Cherokee in America. Range Rover is a product of Land Rover. British made.