The Osun State Fire Service confirmed on Friday that five lives were lost in a fatal accident involving a gas tanker and a commercial bus along the Ife/Ibadan Expressway in Ile-Ife, Osun State.
The tragic accident, which occurred on Thursday, left many commuters trapped, with first responders working frantically to rescue survivors.
According to the spokesperson for the Osun Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Kehinde Adeleke, 17 people were aboard the commercial bus when the crash took place.
Providing an update on the situation, Osun State Fire Service spokesman Ibrahim Adekunle stated that five passengers—two men, two women, and a toddler—were found dead at the scene.
“On Thursday, September 12, 2024, a gas tanker overran a commercial bus, popularly known as ‘Sabo-Lagere,’ carrying an unspecified number of passengers. Both vehicles swerved off the road into a ditch along the Ibadan Express Road, Ajebandele, Ile-Ife,” the statement read.
Adekunle further explained, “The incident was reported to our Ile-Ife Zonal Command around 12 noon. Our team, alongside the FRSC Ile-Ife Zonal Command led by SRC Kenny Olorundare and local residents, worked tirelessly to recover the victims from the wreckage. Unfortunately, five passengers, including two men, two women, and a toddler, were recovered dead and taken to the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital morgue.”
Describing the accident as both tragic and preventable, the Director of the Osun State Fire Service, Mr. Ismail Olaniyi, expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased and the Ile-Ife community.
He urged for greater road safety awareness to avoid such incidents in the future.
