Twenty-five persons were reportedly burnt to death in a ghastly road accident along Bode Saadu Okolowo express way, a suburb of Ilorin, Kwara state.
The incident according to a statement by the Kwara state fire service which responded to a distress call on fire outbreak, “involved a petrol tanker with registration number JJN 17 XW, a heavy-duty truck, and an eighteen-seater bus”.
According to the head, media and publicity of the state fire service, Hassan Adekunle, the fire broke out at the scene of the accident “following a head on collation involving a petrol tanker driver, an 18 seater bus and heavy duty truck.
He said though the firemen brought the fire under control , it however consumed the lives of 25 persons while 16 others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
The statement reads, “On November 28, 2023, around 15:18 hours, the Kwara state fire service responded to a fire at Peke village along Oko-Olowo Bode Saadu Expressway in Moro local government Area, Kwara state.
“The incident involved a petrol tanker with registration number JJN 17 XW, a heavy-duty truck, and an eighteen-seater bus. The firemen diligently worked to quench the inferno, but unfortunately, 25 lives were lost, and around 15 people were rescued with injuries.
“Unvestigations revealed that the petrol tanker, traveling from Niger state, was using the wrong side of the road, resulting in a head-on collision with a heavy-duty truck from Lagos state.
“The collision ignited a fire that rapidly consumed both vehicles, also affecting the 18-seater bus from Lagos.
“Expressing deep sorrow, the director of the Kwara state fire ervice emphasized the need for road users to prioritize safe driving practices, issuing a warning to adhere to safety measures consistently”.
