At least 16 passengers tragically lost their lives in a devastating bus fire that occurred on Tuesday along the Abeokuta-Sagamu Expressway, specifically at the President Muhammadu Buhari Estate axis, after a Mazda bus suddenly erupted in flames.
The devastating fire occurred at 1:00 p.m. involving a Mazda bus with registration no. KJA 949 YJ.
The fire was caused by a domestic cooking gas cylinder explosion.
“A total of 21 people were involved, with 16 fatalities and three others sustaining varying degrees of injuries,” spokesperson for the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun State, Mrs Florence Okpe, said in a statement in Abeokuta.
“The genders of the victims could not be identified as they were burnt beyond recognition.”
She said those injured have been taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Idi Aba, in the capital, while the corpses were still awaiting evacuation from the scene.
Okpe cautioned motorists against carrying highly flammable materials in passenger vehicles, advising that such items should only be transported by designated vehicles operated by trained drivers.
She urged both drivers and passengers to prioritise safety at all times
Ogun FRSC Sector Commander, Marshall Akinwumi Fasakin, who led a rescue team to the scene, expressed dismay over the incident, stressing that the driver should not have transported a cylinder filled with gas.