A devastating accident occurred on Wednesday evening when a bus carrying final year students from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) on an excursion trip back from a picnic caught fire along the Osogbo/Ifon/Oyo Boundary road. The incident resulted in the tragic death of two passengers.
According to reports, the accident took place near Ojutu Bridge, Ilobu, following an earlier collision between the bus and a commercial motorcyclist in the town.
The bus driver, apparently trying to escape the ire of some irate residents who were pursuing him, lost control of the vehicle, causing it to somersault and catch fire.
Local resident Adeyanju, who witnessed the incident, recounted, “Some people were rescued before the fire could spread, but three people were burnt to death.”
Operatives of the Osun Ambulance Scheme responded promptly to the distress call, rescuing five occupants of the bus.
The injured individuals were rushed to UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital in Osogbo, where they received medical attention. Remarkably, the hospital faced overcrowding as it struggled to accommodate the injured.
Elizabeth Arowosafe, Head of Operations for the Osun Ambulance Scheme, explained, “We could not recognize the dead victims. They were traveling inside a bus.
I learned that the occupants of the bus are final year students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, who went to Erin-Ijesa waterfall for an excursion.”
The accident was attributed to a violation of the speed limit, resulting in a loss of control, as confirmed by Agnes Ogungbemi, Public Relations Officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps.
