53 persons burnt to death along Benin- Onitsha expressway

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Edo State has disclosed that no fewer than 53 persons were burnt beyond recognition in a road crash that occurred on Thursday evening at Abudu town, along
Benin-Agbor-Onitsha Express road.

  The agency said eight vehicles, including one motorcycle were involved in the accident. The FRSC listed the vehicles to include two commercial Toyota Hummer buses, one Dyna truck, one tanker carrying petrol, one Ford bus and one Toyota Corrolla.

  Eyewitness reports say security agents and officials of FRSC watched helplessly as the victims burnt to death as there was no fire service station at Abudu town, headquarters of Orhiomwon Local Government Area to rescue the victims.

   A statement released by the FRSC, Edo State Sector Command yesterday said five other persons sustained injuries and had been taken to the hospital for treatment.

  The statement said everyone in the two hummer buses, Toyota Sienna, and Corolla car burnt to ashes. The statement said the tragic incident was due to break failure which led to explosion from the tanker.

 It added that health workers from the local government authorities had been invited to take charge of the mass burial of the victims.