Twelve persons have reportedly died in an auto crash that occurred near Second Gate, New Gbagi International Market, on the new Ife-Ibadan road, in Ibadan, Oyo State.
A statement on the accident, entitled: Road Traffic Crash Report, issued yesterday by Corps Commander, Cecilia Alao, said the accident reportedly occurred at 11:40 p.m on New Year’s Eve, causing a heavy traffic gridlock on road for several hours on Tuesday.
The statement said a trailer from Iwo Road, suspected to have had a brake failure, rammed into a commercial bus and two cars near the entrance to a market in the area.
The statement, which put the casualty figure at 12 out of 19, said the bodies of the victims including an expectant mother were deposited at the morgue of Oyo State Specialist Hospital at Adeoyo, Ibadan.
The report added that besides nine persons who died immediately on the scene, three others died among the injured 10 victims conveyed to Toun Specialist Hospital on Iwo Road for treatment.
The statement read: “The command recorded a fatal (multiple) road traffic crash on December 31 at 2345 hours (11.45 p.m) at KM3 Gbagi, on Ibadan-Ife highway.
“Report of the crash was received at 11.56 p.m and a detachment of FRSC standby rescue team was sent within 11 minutes of receiving the information.
“Three vehicles with the following details were involved in the crash: a DAF 85 trailer (red) without a registration number; a Toyota Camry salon car (gold) with registration number (Lagos) KJA672CG and a Toyota Hiace (white) with registration number (Lagos) MUS171XF.
“Nineteen persons were involved in the crash; they were 10 male adults, eight female adults and one male child.
“At the time of concluding the rescue operations, nine victims were confirmed dead and their bodies deposited at the morgue of Oyo State Specialist Hospital, Adeoyo (Ibadan), while 10 injured victims were conveyed to Toun Specialist Hospital, Iwo Road, for treatment.
“Subsequent hospital follow-up conducted by the command on January 1, suggests that an additional three victims have also died, putting the fatality figure at 12; consisting eight male adults three female adults and one male child; seven injured victims, comprising of two male adults and five female adults, are still receiving treatment.
“Preliminary investigation suggests that brake failure resulting in loss of control is the causative factor of the road crash.
“Meanwhile, the road obstruction caused by the multiple crashes was duly cleared by FRSC personnel at 2.14 a.m on January 1, thereby ensuring sustenance of smooth traffic flow.
“Whilst it is crucial to commiserate with the families of the deceased and wish the injured quick recovery, it is imperative to state that effective maintenance of vehicle components and general adherence to safety rules is strongly recommended to forestall a recurrence of the unfortunate incident.”
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