17 persons burnt to death as tanker catches fire in Ogun

No fewer than 17 persons were burnt to death on Friday, as a tanker caught fire on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State.

The Federal Road Safety Corps confirmed that the accident happened around 5 am on Friday, before Isara bridge.

The spokesperson of the FRSC in Ogun, Florence Okpe, explained that 14 of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition, adding that the FRSC operatives were able to identify one man, one woman, and a girl.

She said “the total number of people involved is not ascertained, but a total of 17 bodies (killed) have been identified.

 “One male, one female, and one female child only have been identified, while others were burnt beyond recognition.”

Explaining what led to the incident, Okpe said the tanker had a head-on collision with a Mazda bus marked, ZT728 KLD.

She said “the suspected causes of the fatal crash were route violation and dangerous driving, which resulted to head-on collision and fire outbreak.

Meanwhile, the Ogun FRSC Sector Commander, Ahmed Umar, has described the crash as an avoidable one, urging caution and obedience to traffic rules and regulations.

Umar commiserated with the families of the victims, enjoining them to contact the FRSC office in Ogere for more information about the crash.