Tragedy struck early Saturday morning as 12 passengers were burnt to death in a deadly car crash along the Benin-Auchi highway when a Toyota Hiace bus collided with a truck.
Confirming the unfortunate incident, the Edo State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Cyril Mathew, said the accident occurred around 5 a.m. at Igueoviobo community, near an army checkpoint on the highway.
Matthew said the bus, which departed from Zuba in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) en route to Benin, collided head-on with an oncoming truck heading toward Auchi, adding that the impact saw the vehicle engulfed in flames, making it impossible to rescue any of the victims.
According to the FRSC Sector Commander, “The entire occupants of the bus were killed in the crash”, even as he hinted that fatigue might have been a contributing factor, as the driver could have dozed off behind the wheel, leading to the tragic accident.
He said FRSC officials were able to identify the deceased through the vehicle’s passenger manifest and had since contacted their families.
The Sector Commander further disclosed that the truck driver and his assistant, commonly referred to as the “Motor Boy,” escaped unhurt from the accident.
