Yesterday, a horrifying accident on the Edo State section of the Benin-Lagos motorway was reported to have left eleven people dead and eight others injured.
An articulated truck owned by Dangote and a Toyota Hiace 18-seater bus were involved in the accident at the Ovia River in the state’s Ovia North East local government area.
It was learned that the incident occurred at the Ovia River around 11 am, when a truck travelling from Lagos to Benin struck a bus travelling at a reduced speed at the failed portion of the road after brushing the back of a Kia car, instantly killing 11 people and seriously injuring many more.
According to a witness, the Toyota Hiace bus headed east towards Edo slowed down at a difficult section of the Ovia River bridge, but a truck travelling at top speed rammed into the bus and killed the passengers.
Further information revealed that some of the bus’s passengers and victims were leaving Lagos after attending a programme hosted by a well-known church there.
Paul Okpe, the FRSC’s Edo State Sector Commander, confirmed the collision by stating, “We had a crash on the bridge at Ovia River this morning. Unfortunately, 11 people lost their lives in the collision between a truck and a Toyota Hummer Bus, and eight more were hurt. Three vehicles, including our ambulances, transported both the injured and the deceased to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH).
“The truck struck the hummer bus, but it just missed a tiny Kia car before it did so. Near our office at the toll gate, in the police station, are the three vehicles.
“We are leaving the determination of the potential cause to our Accident Investigations, but the truck collided with the vehicles, and the casualties were in the bus,” the statement continued.
