16 persons burnt to death in Lagos

Sixteen persons have reportedly lost their lives while five others have sustained various degrees of injuries in an auto crash in the Epe area of Lagos.

It was learnt that the fatal auto crash, which happened on Tuesday, involved two vehicles, a white bus and a truck around Alaro city, Epe.

The passengers on board the bus were said to be travelling from Lagos to a yet-to-be-ascertained destination.

It was learnt that the bus allegedly rammed into the truck from behind around 3am due to poor visibility.

The Federal Road Safety Corps and the National Emergency Management Agency confirmed the number of casualties to newsmen.

The FRSC Sector Commander, Lagos Sector Command, Olusegun Ogungbemide, blamed the crash on recklessness on the part of the drivers.

NEMA Lagos Territorial Head, Ibrahim Farinloye, told Daily Trust that “16 persons were burnt beyond recognition.”

However, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, said five persons died in the accident.

LASEMA Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, in the statement, said the accident occurred at Alaro city inward Epe.

The statement read, “Upon the arrival of the LRT at the incident scene, it was discovered that a truck conveying sand had a head-on collision with a hummer commuter bus along the axis, and the two vehicles were completely burnt as a result.

“Unfortunately five adult males were confirmed dead on impact. A combined team of agency responders and FRSC have worked to hand over the remains of the deceased to their family members for immediate burial given that most of the victims are Muslim.

“The vehicles have been evacuated from the road with the agency’s super metro. The operation has been concluded.”

DT