3 Children, 7 Others Burnt to Death in Ife Auto Crash

Ololade Adeyanju/

No fewer than 10 people, including a woman and her three children, were burnt to death, on Sunday, in an automobile accident, in Ife-Ife, Osun State.

The accident, which occurred about 12pm, involved an 18-seater passenger Toyota Hiace and a diesel laden tanker.

Eyewitness said the driver of the bus, which was speeding, lost control and collided with the tanker as it was making a u-turn in front of Energy filling station, on the Ife-Ibadan expressway.

The bus marked, LAGOS MUS 702 XH, caught fire immediately, burning the trapped occupants.

Rescuers said the heavy load carried by the bus, which included vehicle engines, made it difficult to assist the victims.

They also blamed the non-availability of emergency tools such fire extinguisher for the number of casualties.

Newsmakers learned the bus was coming from Ore, Ondo State and heading for Ibadan when the incident occurred.

Three survivors were rushed to the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital by sympathisers before the arrival of men of the Fire Service.

Majority of the eyewitnesses blamed the crash on over speeding and advised government to erect speed breakers at major intersections on the expressway.

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