Tragedy struck at the weekend when seven people, including a
pregnant woman and a baby, were roasted to death along Lagos/Ibadan expressway
while five officials of Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency
(TRACE) and an unspecified number of traffic police were injured by hoodlums at
Kara end of same expressway.
According to Vanguard report, the accident, which involved
an 18-seat bus, occurred around 3.30pm as the bus, which took off in Lagos,
reportedly went up flames.
It was gathered that the commercial bus painted in white
with blue stripes suddenly developed leakages on the fuel tank, which spilled
its contents.
Investigation revealed that prior to the moment the vehicle
caught fire, one of the passengers in the vehicle was said to have noticed a
spark from the engine and raised the alarm, which made the driver to stop
abruptly in order to check the cause of the incident.
According to eyewitnesses’ account, all the passengers
scampered for safety as soon as the vehicle stopped but this was unfortunately
too late, as the fire had made the vehicle's door to jam preventing the passengers
from fleeing to safety.
It was gathered that before help could come, seven of the
passengers, including a pregnant woman and a baby, were burnt beyond
recognition while eleven others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Some of the sympathisers were said to have put a call across
to the fire fighters in Ogun State but none arrived the scene until the
situation degenerated.
Meanwhile, some TRACE officials were said to have rushed to
the scene but were prevented from rendering any assistance as hoodlums descended
on them, venting their anger.
In the process, five officials, including the Akute Head of
Operations, were assaulted. An eyewitness said the traffic Police around the
axis were not spared as the hoodlums injured many of them.
Reports have it that it took the intervention of the Rapid
Response Squad (RRS) in Lagos and Quick Response Squad from Mowe axis, before
the situation was put under control.
The incident was said to have caused traffic jam on the
expressway outward Lagos, which lasted for hours.
TRACE Public Relations Officer Babatunde Akinbiyi, who
confirmed the development, said the officials arrived the scene as soon as they
received a distress call but lamented that the miscreants threw caution to the
wind, causing further damage on the very busy expressway.
The bodies and the injured persons were said to be taken to
Ogun State University Teaching Hospital (OSUTH) Sagamu.
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