How Six Final Year LAUTECH Students, Driver Got Burnt To Death In Osun

Casualty figures in the fatal accident involving some Ladoke Akintola University (LAUTECH) Ogbomoso students, on Thursday rose from three to six following the death of another three passengers at the hospital where they were being treated after the crash.

Naija News reported that the students were returning from an excursion to Erin-Ijesa Waterfall in Osun State on Wednesday night when their vehicle suddenly caught fire around Ilobu-Okinni-Osogbo road in Osun.

The victims were reportedly rescued by the operatives of the Osun Ambulance Scheme that responded to the distress call from the accident scene.

In an interview with PUNCH, a resident of Okunni, identified as Adeyanju, said the driver of the bus conveying the victims had hit a commercial motorcyclist in the town and was attempting to escape the rage of some angry residents chasing after him, but the bus somersaulted and caught fire.

He said, “Few meters from Ojutu Bridge, the driver lost control of the vehicle, and the bus somersaulted and caught fire. Some people were rescued before the fire could spread, but three people were burnt to death. Operatives of O’Ambulance Scheme came around to rescue some of the victims.” 

Also speaking on the tragic incident, the Head of Operations, Osun Ambulance Scheme, Elizabeth Arowosafe, said the organisation received a distress call around 9:50 pm on Wednesday that a bus conveying some final year students of LAUTECH returning from a picnic was involved in an accident.

She noted that six victims were rushed to the UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital in Osogbo, and one of the injured students also gave names of some victims.

She said, “We responded around 9:53pm. I was told the driver had hit someone in Okinni and was speeding to avoid some people around the area chasing after him when the incident happened.

“The driver, alongside a lady and a male student were burnt to death. We were able to rescue six people. We rushed them to UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital in Osogbo. The hospital did well. In fact, there was no adequate space to accommodate the injured people and we had to leave one of our stretchers with them to use.

“We could not recognise the dead victims. They were travelling inside a bus. I learnt that the occupants of the bus were final year students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, who went to Erin-Ijesa waterfall for an excursion.

“One of the injured students confirmed to us that they were coming from an excursion. She gave us names of some victims, but she didn’t have the strength to name the others.”