Multiple accidents: Three burnt alive, many injured

Juliana Francis

Three persons were feared killed today and several injured after a commercial bus and a truck loaded with margarine rammed into each other at the Arepo area of Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

It was gathered that one of the vehicles burst into fire on collision, leading to many of the passengers in the commercial bus sustaining various degree of burnt.

It was alleged that the accident was caused by a truck laden with Noodles at about 5pm.

All hell was said to have been let loose after a truck carrying indomie attempted to gain access to the road, but did not check for oncoming vehicles.

Just the driver of the indomie truck was reversing into the road, a speeding commercial bus and another truck loaded with margarine, appeared.

While trying to avoid the truck, the commercial bus driver swerved and rammed into the margarine loaded truck and fell smack on the road divider. In the hellish confusion that followed, the Indomie truck drove off. The margarine truck burst into fire and it spread unto the passenger truck.

The three occupants of the margarine truck came out alive but sustained severe burns.

Eye witnesses claimed that passengers in the commercial bus were not as fortunate as the bus fell on the road divider, making it difficult for the passengers to escape.

The driver of the bus was however able to exit the bus but with severe injuries as well.

Some of the passengers were later rescued by policemen from the Ibafo Police Division.

 Eye witness said that he heard and saw one of the passengers in bus crying for help, but “Nobody could help him. He was roasted alive.”

A police source revealed that four women, two children and an official of the Federal Road Safety Corps were injured.

The police source added: “Rescue efforts are still on but three corpses are said to have been roasted in the fire. We are going to clamp down on truck drivers who park on the expressway because they used to cause too many accidents.”