THIRTY persons died after two Mazda passenger buses collided on the Lagos-Ibadan highway on Thursday night. Ten other persons were injured, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), said yesterday. The accident occurred at Km 95 close to the Elebolo Quarry Area in the Ibadan axis of the road. “The accident occurred at a construction site, and it resulted from route and speed violations,” FRSC spokesman, Mr Bisi Kazeem,said in Abuja.
“This has further underscored the Corps Marshal, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi’s advice to motorists to avoid night journeys, be careful around construction sites and drive within approved speed limits,” he said. Rescue operations by FRSC officials, who arrived at the scene minutes after the incident, ended at 2:42 a.m. yesterday. Briefing newsmen yesterday at Ibadan on the accident, Oyo State Head of Operations, FRSC, Mr Cyril Mathew, explained that the accident occurred at about 8:30 pm, Thursday night as a result of over-speeding. The corpses of the victims were deposited at the Adeoyo Yemetu Hospital, Ibadan while the injured were taken to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, and Adeoyo Yemetu Hospital.
He gave the details of the 30 casualties to include, 20 males and 10 female, all adults. While urging drivers to avoid night travelling, he noted that “no matter how bright the vehicles head light may be, they may not still be able to see clearly at night.” Speaking to reporters on the hospital bed, one of the survivors, Mr Busari Owolabi said the driver had been cautioned by the passengers many times but that the driver turned deaf hears until the accident occurred.
An official who was at the rescue scene after the accident had occurred said the chances of alcoholism could not be ruled out of the cause of the accident as the two drivers of the buses “heavily smelled alcohol from their mouth and their entire body.”
Hospital source also hinted that the survivors are also responding to treatment and with high hope of surviving. Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent Adekunle Ajisebutu said information available to the command gives the number of dead casualty as 31 while eleven were injured. He also confirmed that the commands police boss also visited the scene of the accident as well as the victims at the hospital yesterday.
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