One killed, 21 injured as cows cause auto crash in Osun

One person has been confirmed dead while 21 other passengers sustained critical injuries on Sunday when a herd of cattle crossing Ife-Ilesa expressway caused an accident.

The lone accident involved a Marcopolo luxury bus, Tribune Online authoritatively gathered.

Our correspondent was informed that the accident, which occurred around 11.00 am caused gridlock along the expressway, forcing motorists and commuters travelling along the axis to stop their journey for almost an hour.

According to an eyewitness, “the driver of the luxury bus was struggling to avoid ramming into a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV). The driver of the SUV sighted cows crossing the expressway and swerved to the right.”

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He further hinted that “in an attempt to avoid ramming into the SUV, the driver of the luxury bus, marked SMK 667 XR lost control of the vehicle which somersaulted.”

When contacted, the head of operations, Ife unit of the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr Odogiyan Aderibigbe, confirmed the incident, saying some policemen and soldiers joined the FRSC officials in rescuing the passengers trapped in the bus.

He stated that “the Marcopolo luxury bus was coming from Kaduna and heading to Lagos when the accident occurred. There were 69 passengers on the bus. 21 of the passengers were injured.”

“When the bus finally fell on its side, three of the passengers were trapped under the bus. They were pulled out, but one of them died. The injured passengers were rushed to the emergency unit of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife for treatment,” Aderibigbe remarked.