Not fewer than thirteen persons have been confirmed dead and 10 others injured in a fatal car accident at Sapede, Ogun state.
Among the dead were four male adults, seven female adults and two female children.
Odunews.com learnt that the accident occurred after a speeding truck had a burst tyre and collided with two commuter buses.
The vehicles involved were a yellow Mazda bus with number plate, KTU 93 XW; a white Toyota bus with number plate, KEY 847 XA; and a MAN diesel truck with the number plate, KAB 97 XA.
The Sector Commander, Ogun State, Federal Road Safety Corps, Clement Oladele, who confirmed the accident, said the crash occurred around 5pm.
He explained that 37 people, made up of 20 males, 15 females and two children were involved in the crash.
Oladele stated, “The accident occurred on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway by the Saapade Bridge near Ogere, Ogun State, where a diversion was created by the construction company working on rehabilitating the corridor.
“The unfortunate accident involved three vehicles, including a speeding truck heading for the Lagos area of the expressway.
“The truck suddenly suffered a tyre burst and in the process collided head-on with two other speeding commuter buses heading for the Ibadan area of the expressway, with one of them in the process of attempting to wrongfully overtake within the diversion area.”
The sector commander, while expressing shock at the accident, commiserated with the families of the victims.
He requested the relations to contact the FRSC command at Ogere or the Victory Hospital, Ogere, where the victims were taken to for treatment.
“The corpses of the victims of the crash have been deposited in the Ipara Mortuary, while the obstruction has been cleared with the aid of the RCC, the construction company, which supported rescue operations with its heavy-duty equipment,” he added.
Oladele said the tragedy could have been averted if motorists driving in diversion areas at construction zones observed the maximum speed limit of 50 kilometres per hour and avoided overtaking till they were clearly out of diversion areas to avoid head-on collision.
He added that passengers inside vehicles being driven recklessly should caution their drivers and where they refused to be cautioned, the FRSC should be contacted on the toll free number 122.