Mass Burial For Benin-Ore Expressway Auto Crash Victims

The management of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, yesterday said it is planning a mass burial for the victims of Friday’s auto crash on Benin-Ore-Lagos Expressway, which killed scores of travellers.
According to UBTH news bulletin that was signed on behalf of the Chief Medical Director by the Senior Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Kehinde Ibitoye, a mass burial will be carried out for the victims within the next 24 hours if their corpses were not claimed.

The bulletin stated; “The management of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital wishes to inform the general public that the victims of the accident involving a luxury bus, fuel tanker and a trailer belonging to Dangote Group that occurred around Ugbogui in Edo State on Friday, April 5, 2013 would be given mass burial within the next 24 hours.
“While sympathising with the relatives of the victims, the management is left with no other options because the bodies are badly burnt and beyond recognition. It is not in the best interest of the hospital and its immediate environs to continue to keep such bodies.”
Scores of people died last Friday in an auto crash that occurred on the Benin-Ore-Lagos Expressway at about 1.30 pm, involving a Dangote Group of Companies’ truck that was carrying cement, a fuel-laden tanker and a fully loaded Young Shall Grow luxury bus believed to have about 60 passengers on board.

While it was learnt that only three passengers were rescued from the luxury bus alive with severe burns, it was gathered that the trailer that was heading towards Benin suffered a burst tyre before ramming into the petrol tanker, which instantly fell on the luxurious bus, with all the vehicles bursting into flames in the process.

The destructive impact of the accident has made the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, to decide that it will henceforth sue corporate bodies whose heavy duty vehicles cause accidents on federal highways.