Five passengers died on Sunday afternoon in a lone accident that occurred at Ikaram Akoko in Akoko Northwest Local Government Area of Ondo.

Peoples Gazette learnt that the fatal accident happened when the driver of the commercial bus, a Toyota Hiace with vehicle registration no: DKA 256 XY, conveying 18 passengers on top speed, lost control of the wheels and had a flat tyre, bursting into flames.

Witness accounts revealed that the driver, who was en route to Oke Agbe and Ajowa Akoko could not control the vehicle due to the speed and the burst tyre. 

One of the witnesses, who preferred to remain anonymous, told The Gazette that the victims were moved from the scene by officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Nigeria Police.

Unit Commander of the FRSC, Oluropo Alabi, confirmed the accident in a brief Road Traffic Crashes (RTC) message to journalists in Akure.

Mr Alabi said the accident involved 18 passengers in the vehicle which was in transit through the state.

“The accident involved 18 passengers; five were killed, 11 were injured while the victims were taken to the state specialists hospital in Ikare Akoko for medical attention.

“The corpse were also taken to the same hospital morgue and the crashed vehicle was taken over by the men of the Nigeria Police in Okegbe division,” he said in the RTC obtained by The Gazette.

Reacting to the accident, the monarch of Ikaram of Akoko, Akala of Ikaram, Andrew Momodu, urged the Federal Ministry of Works to assist the community with a ‘speed breaker’, particularly at the junction of the community to avoid more accidents.