Benin Auto Crash: FRSC Confirms 36 Persons Dead

 

FRSC officers

Contrary to media reports which reeled out conflicting casualty figures from Friday’s multiple fatal crash along the Ore-Benin road, the Federal Road Safety Corps saturday released the passengers’ manifest which was obtained from the Young Shall Grow Transport Company in Lagos.

A statement signed by the Corps Public Education Officer, Jonas Agwu, said although the Corps noticed some abnormalities on the manifest, it will react appropriately in due course.

The statement said details of the identities and names of the passengers indicate that only 30 passengers boarded the Scania Luxury bus at the Jibowu terminus of the transport company, which was heading towards Enugu before the fatal crash.

“Consequently, the FRSC wishes to re-iterate that 36 people made up of the 30 passengers in the luxury bus, two drivers and two conductors of the Dangote truck and fuel tanker, in addition to two children from the neighbourhood who were also consumed by the fire, were victims of the crash.

“As the lead agency with statutory mandate to reduce carnage on Nigerian roads, the Corps respects the sanctity of human life and has never and will never down play road crash figures but wishes to appeal with media organisations to avoid speculative reportage by always cross-checking their facts with the Corps before going public in the event of any road crash to avoid causing unnecessary panic through the release of inflated casualty figures.

“The Corps wishes to commiserate with relations of the crash victims and assures motorists of its sustained determination to avert a re-occurrence of this unpleasant trend.

Pursuant to this, the FRSC has put in place measures to ensure improved sanity on our highways in keeping with its goal of reducing crashes by 30 percent and fatalities by 20 percent in 2013.
“Worthy of note is the Corps’ resolve to continue the prosecution of culpable transport operators and drivers whose recklessness leads to deaths or maiming of passengers. The FRSC will further pursue compensation for crash victims.

“Meanwhile, a heavy deployment of the FRSC operatives have been at the crash scene at Ugbogui town since yesterday (Friday), to ensure seamless flow of traffic even as motorists are advised to drive with caution while approaching the scene because the Corps is still making plans to remove the accidented truck, bus and tanker which are constituting slight obstruction along the route,” the statement.

It will be recalled that a Dangote truck suddenly had a tyre burst and rammed into the fuel tanker. The tanker ran into the Scania luxury bus and burst into flames which burnt the 36 persons and spread to a mechanic workshop and a nearby market at Ugbogui town in Benin City.