Tragic road accident claims 18 lives on Ijebu-Ode/Benin expressway

At least 18 people were tragically burned to death in a lone accident involving a white Toyota Hiace bus along the Ijebu-Ode/Benin expressway near the RCC yard on Monday.

The accident, which occurred at around 3:30 p.m., left the driver critically injured.

According to Babatunde Akinbiyi, spokesperson for the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), the bus caught fire after hitting a failed section of the road, causing a keg of petrol inside the vehicle to spill onto the exhaust pipe, igniting the flames.

The injured driver has been rushed to Rona Hospital for treatment, while the bodies of the deceased have been taken to the State Hospital in Ijebu Ode.

Akinbiyi urged drivers to avoid transporting petrol inside vehicles due to the inherent dangers.

In a separate incident on the same day, a Mazda bus with registration number JGB 330 ZT crashed along the Abeokuta-Siun-Sagamu expressway, leaving seven people injured.

Excessive speeding and a tyre burst were identified as the causes of the accident. The injured victims were taken to State Hospital, Ijaye Abeokuta, for medical care.