A tragic accident involving a petrol tanker, a heavy-duty truck, and an 18-seater bus claimed 25 lives and left 15 others with serious injuries on Tuesday in Kwara State. The accident happened at Peke village along the Oko-Olowo area on the Ilorin/Bode-Saadu/Jebba express road.
According to eye witnesses, the petrol tanker with registration number JJN 17 XW was travelling from Niger State and driving on the wrong side of the road. It collided head-on with a heavy-duty truck from Lagos State, which sparked a fire that engulfed both vehicles and also damaged the 18-seater bus that was also coming from Lagos.
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The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Mr. Stephen Dawulung, confirmed the accident to our correspondent on Wednesday and said he would provide more details later. The Kwara State Director of Fire Service, Mr. John Falade, also confirmed the incident and said that firemen responded to the fire at the village at about 3.18 p.m. on Tuesday.
“On November 28, 2023, around 15:18 hours, the Kwara State Fire Service responded to a fire at Peke village along Oko-Olowo Bode-Saadu Expressway in Moro Local Government Area, Kwara State. The firemen diligently worked to quench the inferno, but unfortunately, 25 lives were lost, and around 15 people were rescued with injuries,” he said.
Mr. Falade expressed deep sorrow over the incident that claimed many lives and stressed the need for road users to prioritise safe driving practices. He also warned drivers and other road users to adhere to safety measures consistently when driving on the roads.