10 DEAD, 3 INJURED AS VEHICLE PLUNGES OFF OMU BRIDGE IN OGUN
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By: Sefiu Ajape
At least 10 people were confirmed dead and three others injured in a fatal crash along the Ijebu-Ode–Ibadan Expressway on Friday night.
According to reports, the accident occurred when a vehicle carrying 15 passengers veered off course and plunged from the Omu bridge near the Awa Ijebu area into the river below.
A local source who identified as TMC told Hotjist on Saturday that the vehicle was speeding when the driver lost control, resulting in the tragic plunge.
Video footage from the scene showed several victims lying motionless as bystanders worked frantically to rescue others trapped in the submerged vehicle.
TMC said, “A tragic accident involving an 18-passenger bus en route from Ijebu Ode to Ibadan occurred a few hours ago on the bridge after Awa, with the bus crashing into the river, possibly due to overspeeding, resulting in about 12 fatalities.”
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, Babatunde Akinbiyi, in a telephone conversation with our correspondent on Saturday, disclosed that the accident occurred at about 8:30 pm on Friday.
He noted that emergency responders were unable to access the scene until early Saturday morning.
He identified the lone vehicle involved in the accident as a Mitsubishi bus with the number plate EJ829-LSR.
Akinbiyi added that “according to eyewitness account, wrongful overtaking while on high speed led to failure of the driver to maintain control after noticing an oncoming vehicle.
“The bus driver veered into the bush and rammed into a stone base (gravel) already abandoned on the road beside the bridge, which made the vehicle dive into the river entirely.
“15 people were involved, three injured and 10 (three females and seven males) dead. Two people, including a toddler and an adult, escaped unhurt.”
The TRACE spokesperson noted that the bodies of the deceased victims were deposited at the Ijebu-Ode General Hospital morgue.
“The bodies of the dead and injured victims have been taken to the Ijebu-Ode General Hospital morgue.
“While TRACE, POLICE, and the FRSC commiserate with the family of the victims, motorists are again warned against excessive speed and night travel given its attendant consequences,” Akinbiyi concluded.
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