No fewer than twenty passengers were burnt to death when two vehicles collided at Maya junction, Lanlate, Ibarapa East local government area of Oyo State, on Friday.
Upon the head-on collision, the two vehicles, conveying passengers, immediately caught fire.
It was gathered that the fire immediately erupted because one of the passengers, who is a fuel black marketeer, was conveying fuel in one of the vehicles.
Only two passengers survived the accident, while others were burnt along with the vehicles.
The chairman, Ibarapa East Local Government, Mr Gbenga Obalowo, who led a rescue team to the scene of the accident described it as pathetic and unfortunate.Â
The chairman sympathised with the families of those who died in the incident.Â
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He said the two survivors are currently receiving medical attention at Awojobi Hospital in Eruwa, while the corpses of those burnt have been deposited at a morgue.Â
Obalowo said: “It was a fatal accident, hence it was a gory sight. We counted over 20 human bodies burnt completely. I learnt they had a head-on collision and the two vehicles, a commercial bus and a Sienna which were both conveying passengers caught fire and got burnt beyond repair.Â
“Families whose loved ones usually ply this road and are yet to be reached should please contact parks in and around the town to confirm the identities of the victims in their manifests. I pray to the Lord to continue to guide and protect us wherever we may be.”
Obalowo appealed to motorists, particularly commercial drivers, to be more careful while driving.
“Though no one is perfect, our drivers, however, need to avoid overspeeding. Many lives have been lost to avoidable road accidents,” Obalowo added.
