Ondo Highway: 16 Burned Beyond Recognition in Fatal Accident

16 people were tragically burned to death on Monday night on the Ore-Ondo highway near Ajue community. The victims, who were traveling in a Toyota Hiace bus, were reportedly charred beyond recognition after the vehicle collided head-on with a truck around 8 PM.

Eyewitnesses at the scene attributed the accident to dangerous overtaking, which caused both vehicles to burst into flames upon impact. Three individuals sustained serious injuries, while two others miraculously escaped without harm.

There are unconfirmed reports that the vehicles involved might have been carrying fuel, which likely intensified the fire.

Ondo Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ibitoye Samuel, confirmed the tragic incident and stated that the rescue operation concluded by 11 PM. Preliminary investigations suggest that excessive speed and wrongful overtaking were key factors leading to the accident.

Commander Ibitoye also emphasized the importance of defensive driving, urging motorists to avoid reckless behavior on the road. He pointed out that over speeding remains a significant cause of accidents across Nigeria.

Further investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing.