A Toyota Avensis car was on Saturday involved in an accident at the Olorunsogo stretch of the Abiola Way in Abeokuta. The car, which was carrying female school children, killed five of the eight occupants, leaving two injured.
According to an eyewitness, the car driver appeared drunk, and was sighted “speeding” and “driving dangerously,” leading to a tyre burst before it careened “uncontrollably” unto a side of the road.
Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer, Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi, said that victims have been evacuated to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Abeokuta.
He attributed the accident to “over speeding, dangerous driving and burst tyre leading to loss of control.” The driver managed to escape before arrival of TRACE officials.
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“The number of occupants can’t be ascertained as at the time the rescue team got to the scene, but certainly there must be a driver who drove the vehicle and escaped from the scene.
“Number of people presumed to be involved in the accident is eight. The driver presumed to have escaped from the scene before the rescue team arrived.
“Number of injured: two males. Five are presumed dead – five young females(between the ages 11 and 22). Four other persons were later brought to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Abeokuta, who were said to be in shock after receiving the death of the students.
“All victims met at the scene were taken to the FMC where the presumed dead were taken to the morgue while the injured and those in shocks are being attended to at the FMC. Traffic was not affected as the vehicle involved is off the road,” Akinbiyi said.