ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT : 18 FEARED DEAD AS BUS CATCHES FIRE ALONG IJEBU ODE - BENIN ORE ROAD
The accident involved a Toyota Hiace with registration number XA 690AKU, where the passengers were tragically burnt beyond recognition, while one person sustained injuries. The Public Relations Officer of the state-owned traffic agency, Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed the incident in a statement from Abeokuta, the state capital.
According to Akinbiyi, the lone accident was caused by a fire that broke out due to petroleum motor spirit (PMS) stored in a jerry can inside the vehicle.
"An eyewitness account, corroborated by the driver, revealed that a keg of PMS inside the bus fell over when the vehicle encountered a bad section of the road. The fuel spilled onto the floor of the bus and eventually onto the exhaust pipe, igniting a fire while the vehicle was in motion," he explained.
The driver, who was partially burned, was rescued and taken to Rona Hospital in Ijebu Ode, while the bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the State Hospital Mortuary in Ijebu Ode.
Akinbiyi urged drivers to refrain from storing fuel in jerry cans to prevent such tragic incidents. He also extended condolences to the families of the victims.
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