FRSC confirms one dead, 21 injured in Osun road accident

Osun State Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps confirmed the death of one male adult; while 21 others sustained varying degrees of injury in a road accident on the Ilesha/Ile-Ife Expressway in Osun State on Sunday.

Sixty-nine passengers were said to have boarded a luxury bus from Kaduna to Lagos when the vehicle was involved in the crash.

The driver of the bus was said to have lost control and the vehicle fell on three passengers.

Explaining how the accident happened, the Head of Operations, Ife Unit, FRSC, Aderibigbe Odogiyan; stated that the driver told him during the rescue operation that some cows were blocking parts of the road; and in an attempt to avoid running over an SUV in front of him, he had to manoeuvre and he lost control of the vehicle in the process.

Odogiyan said, “The luxury bus, with number plate SMK 667 XR, was coming from Kaduna; and heading for Lagos and was involved in an accident. Sixty-nine passengers were on board.

“The driver of the vehicle said some cows were blocking parts of the road and in order not to hit an SUV ahead of him, he manoeuvred the vehicle but eventually lost control of the bus.

“The vehicle fell and lay on its side. I didn’t see any cow when I got there. But that was what he told me. Sixty-nine persons were on board, but 21 were injured. Three others were trapped under the vehicle.

“We used a crane to lift the vehicle. Out of the three, who were trapped, two were rescued alive. Doctors confirmed the last person dead in hospital.

“Policemen from Osu and some soldiers, who were travelling on the road at the time the accident occurred, joined in the rescue operation. Those injured were taken to the Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesha, and the OAUTHC, Ile-Ife, for treatment.”