The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), on Sunday, confirmed that 16 persons died in an accident involving an articulated vehicle which loaded with bags of rice and rammed into the stalls in Akungba Akoko market, in Akoko South-West Local Government Area of Ondo State
The Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, who confirmed this attributed the Saturday road traffic crash to brake failure and loss of control, claiming multiple lives at the Ibaka area of Akungba Akoko.
According to a statement signed by the Corps Public Education Officer, Bisi Kazeem, explained that the crash occurred at about 6.30 pm on Saturday when a DAF Truck rammed into the stalls in the market.
He said the before the truck crashed into the shops, it also rammed and crashed into a Toyota Camry saloon car, Toyota corolla and three other motorcycles.
He said: “The fatal crash involved a total of 23 people comprising of 11 male adults, three male children, seven female adult and two female children.
“Out of the 23 people involved, a total of seven people comprising of three male adults, three female adult and one male child were rescued with different degrees of injuries and taken to the hospital.
“While 16 people got killed comprising of eight male adults, two male children, four female adult and two female children and the dead bodies have been deposited at Specialist Hospital Ikare and General Hospital Iwaro Oka mortuaries respectively by FRSC emergency rescue teams.”
The Corps Marshal, however, lamented over the incessant crash in the area, saying many lives and property had been lost to the avoidable occurrences in the area.
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He called on administrators of Local Governments in the country not to locate markets along highways to prevent frequent accidents and death in the market.
He said this became necessary to reduce fatalities of road accidents on highways noting that this will help the existing operational efforts of the FRSC towards enhancing the safety of the entire motoring population.
The sector commander advised motorists to drive cautiously and ensure that their vehicles were in good condition before embarking on trips to avoid loss of lives.
He said: “The Corps is concerned with the rising statistics of innocent citizens who have lost their lives as a result of building markets close to the highways and has since initiated impact-oriented operational strategies to curb the menace.”
He, however, lamented that the strategies no matter how good, would not yield desired results if the government at the grassroots did not rise to the responsibility of relocating those markets.
He commiserated with the families of the victims and advised road users to be more disciplined, maintain their vehicles regularly and maintain prescribed speed limits at all times especially crowded places like markets.
FRSC confirms 16 dead, seven injured in Ondo road accident
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