Tragedy occurred once again along the ever-busy Ilesa-Ife Expressway on Sunday as 17 persons were killed in an auto crash involving a Toyota Sienna space bus and a Toyota Hiace bus.

Our correspondent learnt that the accident which happened at about 4.15 pm claimed the lives of the occupants of the commercial bus and the Sienna.

An eyewitnesses told our correspondent that some road users who saw how mangled bodies of the seven kids and 10 other casualties of the accident were brought out from the wreckage of the vehicles could not hold back their tears.

One of the volunteers who was at the scene, Mr. Tosin Odeyemi, told our correspondent that the accident was caused by the driver of the Toyota Hiace who left his lane and collided with the Sienna space bus going to Lagos.

Odeyemi said that he gathered that the Sienna bus left Abuja on Sunday morning for Lagos and was about getting to Ife when the Toyota Hiace collided with it.

He said, "The accident is terrible. The occupants were obviously coming from a ceremony. There was a bag of rice and other items which suggest this.

"Seven children and 10 adults died on the spot.

"Other passengers who were held in a traffic snarl were just weeping. It was a gory sight. The corpses of the kids evoke emotion and those who saw the accident said the Toyota Hiace left its lane and drove against traffic.

"The driver of the Hiace bus was obviously the cause of the accident. It is unfortunate that he just wasted other people's lives due to his own recklessness."

Another eyewitness said that officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps and policemen arrived the scene promptly to carry out rescue mission.

He said that those injured were taken to the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile Ife for treatment.

The FRSC Sector Commander in Osun State, Mr. Mohammed Hussein, when contacted by our correspondent on the telephone, said that he had instructed officials from all neighbouring FRSC commands to move to the scene to assist in the rescue efforts.

He promised to call back to give the number of casualties and how the accident happened. However, subsequent calls were interrupted by poor network signal.

It will be recalled that no fewer than seven people lost their lives in an accident which occurred at Ileri Junction along Ilesa/ Ife Expressway in Ilesa on October 17, 2014.

The accident was also caused by reckless driving

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