11 Die, Several Injured in Edo Road Accident

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

Eleven persons were yesterday reported to have died while eight others sustained injuries in a ghastly accident that happened on the Edo State section of the Benin-Lagos expressway.

The accident which occurred at the Ovia River in Ovia North East local government area of the state, involved a Toyota Hiace 18 seater bus and an articulated truck belonging to Dangote.

It was gathered that the incident happened around 11am at the Ovia River, when the truck heading towards Benin from Lagos while on top speed rammed into the bus that was said to have slowed down at the failed portion of the road after brushing the back side of a Kia car killing 11 persons on the spot and injuring several others.

An eye witness said the “Toyota Hiace bus going to the East en route Edo slowed down at the bad portion of the Ovia River bridge, but the truck that was on top speed rammed into the bus, killing the passengers.”

It was further gathered that some of the occupants of the bus and victims were coming from Lagos after attending a programme organised by a popular Lagos-based church  

The Edo State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Paul Okpe who confirmed the accident, said, “We had a crash on the bridge at Ovia River this morning. A truck ran into a Toyota Hummer Bus and the casualty is 11 persons lost their lives, very unfortunate and eight persons injured. Both the dead and the injured were moved to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) by our ambulances and three vehicles were involved.

“The truck ran into the hummer but before hitting the hummer bus, it narrowly missed a small Kia vehicle. The three vehicles are in the police station not far from our office at the toll gate.

“For the possible cause, we are leaving that to our Accident Investigations to establish, but it was the truck that ran into the vehicles and the casualties were in the bus.”