At least five persons have been crushed to death after a Dangote Cement truck reportedly lost control and rammed into a tricycle at the Alapoka axis of the Papalanto–Ilaro Road in Ogun State.
The tragic incident, which occurred around 8:30 p.m. on Friday, has left residents of Yewa South Local Government Area in mourning.
Spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed the accident, saying the truck suffered a brake failure before colliding with the tricycle conveying the five victims.
“The crash happened when the truck lost its brakes and rammed into a tricycle conveying the five victims,” Akinbiyi said.
He identified the vehicles involved as an unregistered tricycle and a Dangote truck with registration number GRZ 767 XA.
Akinbiyi added that upon receiving the distress call, TRACE Acting Head Adedayo Omonayajo and Ilaro Divisional Commander Salako Idowu led a rescue team to the scene.
However, the rescue officials were reportedly attacked by irate residents before members of the Amotekun Corps intervened to restore calm.
“The presumed dead were taken to the morgue by Federal Road Safety Corps officials,” Akinbiyi stated.
The incident comes just hours after another fatal crash involving a fuel-laden tanker along the Abeokuta–Sagamu Expressway, which resulted in a fire outbreak and destruction of property.
According to TRACE, the tanker, carrying 30,000 litres of fuel, fell and spilled its contents at about 1:00 a.m. on Friday, igniting an inferno that also burnt a truck, a tow vehicle, and damaged power lines supplying electricity to Mowe and nearby areas.
Rescue teams from TRACE, FRSC, the Police, and Fire Services were deployed to the scene to extinguish the flames and restore normalcy.