Trucks kill 20 in Imo, Osun, Ogun
From Jude Aguguo Owuamanam (Owerri), Hameed Oyegbade (Osogbo) & Peter Moses (Abeokuta)
Twenty people were killed yesterday and many others injured in separate accidents involving trucks across Imo, Osun and Ogun states. In Imo, 10 women were killed and many others injured when a truck lost control and ran into a crowded market at Umuozu in Nwangele Local Government Area of the state.
The incident happened at the popular Nkwommiri market, near the Nwangele river when the brake of the truck failed while descending a hill and crushed the women, who displayed their wares by the roadside
An eyewitness, Adolphus Adolphus, said some of the victims were crushed into a nearby river.
Another eyewitness, Frank Ozuruigbo, said the community was working with government official to rescue those who were trapped following the incident.
When contacted, the police spokesman in the state, Orlando Ikeokwu, confirmed the incident, but said only two people died.
In a related development, eight persons died in an accident on the Osogbo-Ibadan road in Osogbo when a trailer fell off a flyover bridge.
The trailer, which carried kegs of palm oil and 61 people lost control while ascending the bridge.
The men of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the state, policemen and officials of the Osun State Ambulance Service arrived to rescue the victims.
The FRSC sector commander, Kudirat Ibrahim, who confirmed the incident, said the accident involved a truck with registration number KMC 35 ZJ.
Speaking through the FRSC public relations officer, Agnes Ogungbemi, the sector commander said the trailer, while ascending the flyover bridge, fell sideways into the side drainage, throwing off the kegs of palm oil over the passengers and killed eight of them in the process.
The injured victims were taken to the Osun State University Teaching Hospital and the state hospital at Asubiaro, Osogbo while the dead victims were taken to the mortuary.
In the same vein, two motorcyclists were crushed to death in an accident involving two motorcycles and a Leyland truck opposite Forte Oil filling station around Kotopo on the Abeokuta-lbadan road.
It was gathered that the accident occurred on Friday night when speeding two motorcyclists rammed into the truck coming from the opposite direction.
The spokesperson of the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed the incident to newsmen yesterday in Abeokuta.