In the early hours of May 1st, a palm oil laden truck plunged into a ditch, claiming at least 8 lives and leaving 36 others injured in Osogbo, Osun State.
The truck being a a Volvo FL7, with registration number KMC 35 ZJ was said to be carrying mostly traders who were asleep, while the truck was ascending the November 27 overhead bridge opposite the NECO office the driver lost control as the truck could not ascend the bridge. The truck then went on a reverse and fell into the ditch.
According to one of the survivors:
“The accident happened around 2 am when some of us were sleeping on top of the kegs of palm oil in the truck.
The truck fell into the ditch and about 10 of us were killed while others have been taken to Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo and one other public hospital’
Agnes Ogungbemi, the spokesperson of the Federal Road Safety Corps(FRSC) Osun State confirming the incident said:
“The suspected cause of the accident was overload. The injured victims were taken to Osun State Teaching Hospital and Asubiaro Hospitals. Arrangements are ongoing to convey the dead victims to a mortuary.
The vehicle which was heavily loaded with Jerry cans of palm oil and over 60 passengers was trying to ascend the ramp but started rolling backward and lost control. It fell sideways into the side drainage, throwing off the jerry cans over the passengers and killed some in the process,”
