Abeokuta — Emotions still run high, as Wednesday afternoon a
truck rammed into a school building in Itori, Ewekoro Local Government
Area of Ogun State, killing no fewer than 10 students, while 50 vehicles
were damaged.
An eyewitness, who was part of the rescue
team before the arrival of officers of Federal Road Safety Commission,
FRSC, says the accident involves students of Itori Comprehensive High
School.
According to the source, the students had just closed for
the day and were heading for their homes when the truck rammed into
them.
The truck (plate number LAGOS YZ 628 AKD) was said to be
coming from Abeokuta, the state capital, when it veered off the median
and ran into the students.
Confirming the incident, Itori Sector Commander of FRSC, Mr. Fatai Bakare, however, said only five students were confirmed dead.
He said the driver lost control and veered off the road before it fell on the school pupils.
The
inability of the local government to assist the injured angered the
residents and parents of the victims, who then went on rampage.
The residents of the area unleashed violence on motorists caught up in
the ensuing traffic, who abandoned their vehicles in a bid to escape the
melee. The vehicles, numbering up to 50, were thereafter vandalised.
Some
of the protesters also complained about the late arrival of the
security and rescue officials to the accident scene. Many motorists
plying the road, located along the old Abeokuta-Lagos road, could not
hold back tears on arriving at the scene.
The development prompted
the Police to call for the services of an Amoured Personnel Carrier,
APC, belonging to the Ogun State Command to restore order preparatory to
the evacuation of victims.
Meantime, corpses of victims have been
taken to the nearby morgue of the local government, while several
injured students were reportedly rushed to Ifo General Hospital.
No comments:
Post a Comment