No fewer than 11 persons on Thursday died while eight others sustained varying injuries in a ghastly accident that happened on the Edo State section of the Benin-Lagos expressway involving a Toyota Hiace 18 seater bus and a truck belonging to Dangote cement.
It was gathered that the accident occurred around 11 am at the Ovia bridge notorious for accidents due to a failed section of the road and the poor state bridge which runs across the river.
It was gathered that the truck heading towards Benin from Lagos on top speed rammed into the bus that was said to have slowed down at the failed portion of the road, killing 11 persons on the spot and injuring several others.
A witness said, “The Toyota Hiace bus going to the East en route Edo State slowed down at the bad portion of the Ovia river bridge, but the Dangote truck that was on top speed rammed into it, killing some passengers and injuring others.”
It was 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, Paul Okpe confirmed the accident.
He said, “We had a crash on the bridge at Ovia River this morning. A truck ran into a Toyota Hummer Bus and 11 persons lost their lives and eight persons injured. Both the dead and the injured were moved to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital by our ambulances. Three vehicles were involved.
“The truck ran into the Hummer bus after narrowly missing a 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 department to establish, but it was the truck that ran into the vehicles and the casualties were in the bus,” he added.