Three killed in Oyo Sallah auto crash

Two men and a woman died after a commercial Toyota Sienna bus rammed into an articulated truck on Ibadan-Oyo Road on Thursday.

Four others were also injured in the accident.

Eyewitnesses told PUNCH, who was also at the scene of the accident, that the driver of the truck suddenly applied brake in his bid to avoid a mini truck that broke down on the road.

It was further gathered that the driver of the Sienna, who was behind, rammed into the truck.

One of the witnesses said, “There was a red mini truck that broke down ahead of the articulated truck. As the driver of the bigger truck was descending the slope, he noticed the red truck and suddenly applied his brake. The commercial bus rammed into the truck, which dragged it along for about 20 meters. The driver and two other passengers died immediately, while four others sustained injuries.”

Men of the Federal Road Safety Corps and policemen were seen at the scene of the incident, trying to control the traffic.

One of the FRSC officers, who pleaded not to be named, told PUNCH that the injured persons had been taken to a hospital.

However, the mangled body of the three dead persons could not be retrieved as of the time PUNCH correspondent left the scene. The FRSC officer said it would require specialised equipment to free the bodies.

“We do not know the identity of those involved but as you can see, three dead bodies are trapped in that vehicle. We need to free the bus from the truck first before the bodies can be freed. This is a real tragedy on a Sallah day,” he said.

(Punch)