100 people were killed in two separate road accidents which occurred in Okija, along Owerri-Onisha Highway in Anambra State and Ofosu, the boundary town between Edo and Ondo States yesterday.
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About 80 persons were reportedly burnt to death in
the accident involving a haulage truck, a petrol
tanker and the Young Shall Grow double-decker
bus at Ugbogui Village, near Ofosu at about
1.30pm just as 20 other passengers who were
travelling in two commercial buses owned by the
Rivers State Transport Company, RTC, reportedly
died at Okija, when another haulage truck rammedonto them in the early hours of the day.
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Sources said that the accident occurred as the Young Shall Grow bus and the haulage truck were struggling over which vehicle had the right of way and the petrol tanker which was fully loaded with petrol rammed into the two vehicles and burst into a huge ball of flame. The victims were burnt beyond recognition even as the accident led to traffic gridlock that lasted for over three hours.
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An official of the Federal Road Safety Commission,
FRSC, who spoke on condition of anonymity
confirmed the incident at press time saying that
only three of the passengers were rescued from the
fully loaded luxury bus pointing out that the
mangled bodies of the victims littered the scene.
Sene of the accident involving a luxury bus,
trailer and tanker at Ugbogui Village along
Benin-Ore Express road
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According to the eye witness, the victims of the Ore- Benin accident included drivers of the vehicles and their conductors (motor-boys) and 53 passengers in the Luxury bus.
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Another source at the scene however said that the multiple accident occurred when the haulage vehicle which had a flat tyre rammed into the tanker which also swerved and rammed onto the double-decker Luxury bus, causing the petrol tanker to explode and burst into flame that consumed all those around the area.