12 Dead In Kwara Multiple Auto Crash
At least 12 people have reportedly lost their lives in a multiple auto accident involving a trailer and another vehicle along the popular accident-prone Oko Olowo axis of the Ilorin-Jebba Expressway, Kwara State.
It was gathered that several other persons sustained varying degrees of injury in the auto crash.
According to accounts by eyewitnesses, the accident occurred on Wednesday, at approximately 5:35 pm, when a trailer with registration number AYE 218 XC collided head-on with a motor vehicle with registration number TTN 556 XA.
The state command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) was yet to issue official statement on the accident since it happened, except for confirmation through telephone interview with a top corps official in the state.
It was gathered that one of the two vehicles involved in the accident was transporting cows and human passengers from Ilorin, Kwara state capital to Ogbomoso, Oyo state, while the trailer was said to be travelling from Lagos to Kano.
Emergency responders and police officers from the ‘G’ Division Police Command, Oloje, were said to have arrived at the scene on time to take control of the situation, while the injured victims were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Bodies of the deceased victims were said to have been evacuated by their families.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation, however, it was gathered that reckless driving and excessive speeding contributed.
A video of the incident recorded by one of the rescuers made available showed the truck that fell on its side with over 10 corpses scattered on the road.
A voice was heard calling on the government to take drastic measures to halt the frequent accidents on that corridor that had claimed several lives lately.
A senior FRSC officer in Kwara who preferred not to be quoted said that 15 people died in the multiple crashes while three were injured.
Speaking in a telephone chat, the FRSC Sector Commander, Muftau Irekeola, confirmed the incident, saying that, “But I am still waiting for the details from my boys in Olooru unit.”
“That we have 15 casualties may not be far from the truth but I am still waiting for details. I am waiting for the details from my boys. It was a multiple accident involving a trailer and one Canter truck,” he said.
