A tragic road crash in Kwara State has claimed the lives of 15 people and left 17 others injured after a trailer conveying dozens of passengers crashed in the early hours of Sunday July 5 at Oko-Olowo, along the Ogbomoso-Oloru highway.
The fatal lone crash occurred at about 2:32 a.m. near the Muslim Cemetery in Oko-Olowo and involved a DAF XF trailer with registration number GWL 274 XC.
According to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), a total of 48 male occupants were involved in the crash. While 15 victims died at the scene, 17 sustained varying degrees of injuries. Sixteen others escaped unhurt. The FRSC attributed the crash to driver fatigue.
In a statement issued by the Acting Officer Commanding, Oko-Olowo Outpost, SRC Taofeeq M. Sanusi, the injured victims were evacuated to Arewa Medical Centre and Baki Hospital for treatment, while the corpses were released to family representatives and the Sarkin Hausawa of Oko-Olowo for burial. The statement added that personnel from the Oloru Unit Command and the Oko-Olowo Outpost jointly carried out the rescue operation.
Reacting to the incident while at the scene, the Kwara FRSC Commander, Kabiru Babatunde Kazeem, said the command would intensify public enlightenment campaigns to reduce road crashes across the state. He also urged motorists to avoid mixed loading of passengers and goods as well as night journeys, warning that fatigue remains a major contributor to fatal road crashes.
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