No fewer than 11 persons have been confirmed dead in multiple crashes on the Benin-Ore expressway in Edo State.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) spokesperson, Bisi Kazeem, in a statement on Thursday, disclosed that the accident occurred on kilometer 20 Ovia Bridge inward Benin, Edo State, at exactly 9:04 a.m. on Monday, June 26, 2023.

Kazeem noted that the multiple crashes involved 19 people, comprising 10 male adults, eight female adults, and one female child.

He stated that out of the number, 11 persons, comprising three female adults, seven male adults, one female child were killed, while eight persons sustained various degrees of injuries.

“A total of three vehicles were involved comprising of a Dangote trailer at the rear, one Kia saloon car with registration number LSD553HY which was brushed aside, and a Toyota Hiace Bus with registration number KET779AV in front,” the FRSC spokesman said.

Reacting to the accident, the FRSC Corps Marshal, Dauda Biu, advised drivers to avoid being careless whenever they notice mechanical faults in their vehicles.

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Biu also reiterated the need for drivers to ensure routine and regular maintenance of their vehicles.

This, he said, was to avert unwarranted road traffic crashes that could lead to the loss of human lives and damage to properties.

Biu said that the investigation conducted revealed that the multiple crashes occurred as a result of mechanical deficiency (break failure) which resulted in loss of control.

He said the injured were evacuated to the Saving Grace Hospital, Ovbiogie in Benin, Edo State, while the dead had been deposited at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital mortuary.

The Corps Marshal directed that a technical investigation should be conducted into the immediate and remote causes of the crashes.

This, he said, would be with the aim of prosecuting erring offender(s) in order to protect the rights of the crash victims.

The Star