Sola Adeyemo and Adewale Momoh 
At least nine people, among them a newly married man, lost their lives in auto crashes in Ondo and Oyo states at the weekend. Five people died in the Ondo accident which occurred yesterday while four others, a mother, her two children and another person, lost their lives in the Saturday night crash at Ogbomoso, Oyo State.
In the Ondo crash, a man, identified simply as Dewale, who got married on Saturday, died when an 18-seater commercial bus in which he, his wife and others were travelling plunged into the Owena River. Four other co-passengers died in the accident. Dewale’s wife was critically injured and was being attended to by doctors.
The couple were said to have embarked on the journey to Akure after the registry in Lagos for their traditional wedding slated for this Saturday. The bus, which was going to Akure from Lagos State, plunged into Owena River about 10 kilometres to its destination.
Several people also sustained varying degrees of injury in the accident which occurred during the rain at Apomu village in the Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The driver of the bus with registration number AAA 859 XC was said to have lost control of the vehicle while on top of speed. At press time, only four bodies had been pulled out of the wrecked vehicle while officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and some Good Samaritans were still trying to pull out the remaining body.
Witnesses said the victims could not get help until about one hour later when the accident was discovered.
The state FRSC spokesperson, Abiola Fadumo, said rescue operation was still going on at the scene of the auto crash. According to him, the FRSC sent rescue teams from Ondo town Unit Command and Zebra Unit in Akure. Fadumo added that the injured passengers had been taken to the State Specialist Hospital in Akure for treatment.
Meanwhile, a mother and her two children lost their lives when a car crashed into their shop at Ogbomoso, Oyo State.
Another person also died in the crash, which occurred on Saturday night. The driver lost control of the car, a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), reportedly because of a mechanical fault and rammed into the shop.
The mother and her two children died on the spot. The accident occurred beside Crown FC Hostel on Ogbomoso Parapo, Oja Tuntun Road when the car veered off the road and rammed into the woman’s shop where she was selling plastic materials. Apart from those who lost their lives, other people were injured and were rushed to a hospital.
A witness said the Mistubishi SUV car with registration number LND 69 AR suddenly developed a mechanical problem while on motion.
The state Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Mrs. Uche Chukwura, said the accident occurred in the night on Saturday. Chukwura said the FRSC officials were not informed because it did not occur on the highway.
But according to her, five people were involved in the accident.
She said: “The accident actually happened at 10.05pm on Saturday at Owode area of Ogbomoso. Five persons were involved in the accident – two males and three females.
One male child and three females died in the accident.” The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Adewale Osifeso, could not be reached on his mobile phone at press time
