A fatal road accident on Tuesday involving a heavy truck and a Toyota Hiace passenger bus has claimed eleven lives in Kwara State, while seven others escaped with serious injuries.
The accident occurred at Aiyere along the Bode Saadu-Ilorin highway around 4:50 am due to wrongful overtaking and speed violation.
A statement by the Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps, in Ilorin on Tuesday, said, “On receipt of the report of the crash our operatives at the Help and Rescue Camp, which was established at Bode Saadu to fortify rescue operations during the ongoing end of year special patrol operations, were immediately mobilized to the crash scene for a rescue operation, which was carried out in conjunction with men of the Nigerian Police Force, Divisional Headquarter, Bode Saadu.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the Toyota Hiace bus coming from Gombe en route to Lagos wrongfully overtook another vehicle resulting in a head-on collision with an oncoming DAF Truck.
“A total of 18 people, male adults were involved, 11 of them sadly lost their lives while seven others were rescued with varying degrees of injury and have been taken to Ifeoluwa Hospital Bode Saadu, where they are currently receiving treatment,” the statement added.
The sector commander, Stephen Dawulung, also directed a full investigation into the crash which has already commenced.
He deeply sympathized with the families of the dead and wished the injured a quick recovery.
Dawulung, admonished drivers to drive within the stipulated speed limits, avoid night journeys, and long hours of driving without adequate rest, which can result in fatigue, lack of alertness, poor visibility and poor judgement, as these constitute high-risk factors that result in crashes with high fatality.
He also assured that Kwara Sector Command will continue to discharge its primary responsibilities of curbing road traffic crashes with the highest level of proficiency and professionalism towards ensuring the safety of all road users within Kwara State.
