By Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
No fewer than 12 lives were reportedly lost in an auto crash involving a trailer and another vehicle in the Oko Olowo axis of the Ilorin-Jebba expressway, Kwara State.
It was also gathered that several other persons sustained varying degrees of injury in the tragic incident.
An eyewitness account said the accident occurred on Wednesday, around 5:35 pm, when a trailer with registration number AYE 218 XC had a head-on collision with another motor vehicle with registration number TTN 556 XA.
It was gathered that one of the two vehicles involved in the accident was transporting cows and human passengers from Ilorin, Kwara State capital, to Ogbomoso, Oyo state, while the trailer was said to be travelling from Lagos to Kano.
Emergency responders and police officers from the ‘G’ Division Police Command, Oloje, were said to have arrived at the scene on time to take control of the situation, while the injured victims were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Bodies of the deceased victims were said to have been evacuated by their families.
Though the cause of the accident is still under investigation, it was gathered that reckless driving and over speeding might be responsible for the avoidable accident.
A video of the incident recorded by one of the rescuers made available to this medium showed the truck that fell on its side with over 10 corpses scattered on the road.
A voice was heard calling on the government to take drastic measures to halt the carnages through frequent avoidable accidents on that corridor that had claimed several lives lately.
A senior officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kwara command, who spoke under the condition of anonymity said that 15 people died in the auto crash while three were injured.
The FRSC Sector Commander, Muftau Irekeola, in a telephone conversation, confirmed the incident, saying: “But I am still waiting for the details from my boys in Olooru unit.
“That we have 15 casualties may not be far from the truth but I am still waiting for details.
“I am waiting for the details from my boys. It was a multiple accident involving a trailer and one Canter truck.”