At least 18 people were tragically killed on Monday in a lone accident along the Ijebu-Ode/Benin expressway when a white Toyota Hiace bus caught fire near the RCC yard.
The incident occurred around 3:30 p.m., leaving the driver critically injured. According to reports from eyewitnesses and the driver, the fire started when a keg of petrol inside the bus fell over as the vehicle hit a damaged part of the road, spilling fuel onto the exhaust pipe and sparking a blaze. The driver was rushed to Rona Hospital for treatment, while the bodies of those who died were taken to the State Hospital in Ijebu Ode.
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Babatunde Akinbiyi, the spokesperson for the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), confirmed the incident. He urged drivers to refrain from transporting petrol inside vehicles, stressing the serious risks. “This unfortunate crash occurred after a keg of fuel fell and spilled onto the exhaust pipe, setting the vehicle ablaze,” Akinbiyi explained.
Later that day, a separate accident involving a Mazda bus occurred on the Abeokuta-Siun-Sagamu expressway at about 6:45 p.m. The bus, with registration number JGB 330 ZT, overturned after a tire burst, resulting in seven injuries. The crash, attributed to high speed and the tire blowout, left the injured passengers hospitalized at State Hospital, Ijaye Abeokuta.
Authorities have again reminded motorists of the dangers of speeding and transporting fuel, urging caution to prevent further tragedies.
