Five persons have been confirmed dead while 12 others sustained injuries in an accident on Tuesday along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
This was revealed in a statement provided to journalists on Tuesday by Florence Okpe, the spokeswoman for the Federal Road Safety Corps’ (FRSC) Ogun State Sector Command.
According to reports, the accident which occurred at 1:07 p.m., a few metres after Foursquare on the highway it involved a Mazda bus with registration number SMK 685 YG and a truck marked ZE 121 OG.
The report says the tired driver of the Mazda bus fell asleep, lost control, and collided with the moving truck.
The report partly reads, “A total of 18 people, comprising 10 men and eight women, were involved in the accident. Twelve people were injured, and unfortunately, five persons were also recorded dead in the crash.
“The suspected cause of the fatal crash was fatigue, which led to loss of control because the driver slept off on the wheels and rammed into a moving truck,” she said.
Those injured have been taken to Victory Hospital, Ogere Remo in Ikenne Local Government Area of the state for medical treatment while the bodies of the dead have been deposited at FOS Morgue, Ipara Remo.
The statement partly reads, “The suspected causes of the fatal crash were tyre bust, speed and fatigue which led to loss of control because the driver slept off on the wheel and ran into a moving truck.
“The injured victims were taken to Victory Hospital Ogere while the corpses were deposited at FOS Morgue, Ipara Remo.”
However, Anthony Uga, the Sector Commander of the FRSC Ogun Sector Command, has advised drivers to avoid speeding and to always choose high-quality tires.
While highlighting the problem of exhaustion, Uga advised drivers to schedule time for relaxation.
He further urged passengers to remain vigilant and report any irregularities they observe in drivers, particularly if they witness a driver nodding off while operating a vehicle.
