Pregnant woman, six others roasted to death, 11 injured on Lagos-Ibadan expressway

Seven people, including a pregnant woman and a baby, were, weekend roasted to death, while five officials of Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency TRACE, and an unspecified number of traffic police were injured by hoodlums at Kara, along Lagos/Ibadan expressway.

The accident, which involved an 18-seat bus, occurred at about 3.30pm as the vehicle, which took off in Lagos reportedly went up flames.

Vanguard gathered that the commercial bus painted in white colour, with blue stripes suddenly developed leakages on the fuel tank, which spilled its contents.

One of the passengers was said to have noticed a spark from the engine and raised the alarm which made the driver to stop abruptly in order to check the cause of the incident.

Eye witnesses account said all the passengers scampered for safety as soon as the vehicle stopped but this was too late as the fire had made the vehicle’s door to jam.

Vanguard gathered that before help could come, seven of the passengers, including a pregnant woman and a baby, were burnt beyond recognition while eleven others sustained varying degrees of injuries.

Some of the sympathisers were said to have put a call across to the fire fighters in Ogun State but none arrived the scene until the situation degenerated.

Meanwhile, some TRACE officials were said to have rushed to the scene but were prevented from rendering any assistance as hoodlums descended on them, venting their anger.

In the process, five officials, including the Akute Head of Operations, were assaulted.

An eye witness said the traffic Police around the axis were not spared as many of them were injured by the hoodlums, although a distress call was later put across to both the Rapid Response Squad RRS, in Lagos and Quick Response Squad from Mowe axis, who eventually put the situation under control.

The incident was said to have caused a traffic jam on the expressway outward Lagos which lasted for hours.

Also, the bodies and the injured persons were said to have be taken to Ogun State University Teaching Hospital OSUTH, Sagamu.

TRACE Public Relations Officer Babatunde Akinbiyi, who confirmed the development, said the officials arrived the scene as soon as they received a distress call but lamented that the miscreants threw caution to the wind, causing further damage on the every busy expressway.