A truck laden with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), on Monday rammed into a taxi, popularly called Micra in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, and crushed all the six occupants of the mini vehicle.
The accident occurred at Celica Junction along Ibadan-Ife Expressway, where many of such road accidents had taken place in the past.
According to a resident of Alakia, who introduced himself as Kayode Sunday, “This Celica Junction has become a dreaded place for us because of the accidents that have been occuring in this place. The rate of accidents at this junction is very high. The incident that happened this (Monday) morning was one of such.
“A fully loaded truck, carrying petrol, I think, suffered brake failure, and veered off the road in a bid to avoid ramming into many vehicles at the Celica Junction. In the process, the truck hit a taxi and both of them plunged into a stream by the road side.
“At that time, the occupants of the taxi had not died, though some of them might have sustained injury based on the impact of the hit. The driver of the cab then attempted to get his vehicle out of the stream. But the tanker fell on the taxi and finished the job, killing the six occupants on the spot.
“I must confess to you that the Celica community in Ibadan is not happy that the Federal Government has not completed the rehabilitation work on the new Ibadan-Ife Expressway, which began more than one year ago. So, we appeal to the Federal Government to please ensure timely completion of the road in order to save our lives and that of other road users from preventable deaths through accidents.”
Men of Oyo State Fire Service and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), were deployed to the accident scene immediately. The fire brigades were able put off the fire and prevented effectively it from spreading, while officers of the road safety were also controlled the traffic and prevented logjam at the Celica Junction.
The Assistant Director, Oyo State Fire Service, Moshood Adewuyi, confirmed the incident, saying the truck fell on the cab and killed all the occupants on the spot. He added that his men from Gbagi Station were deployed to the scene for the rescue operation.
