A fatal automobile crash that occurred on Tuesday morning in Benin City, the Edo State capital, has left several persons dead.
The unfortunate incident occurred along Sakponba Road, by Ogbelaka Junction, when a tipper loaded with sharp sand and two Toyota Vernet buses.
The State Police Image maker, SP Kontongs Bello, confirmed four casualties, and several others sustaining various degrees of injuries,
Some eyewitnesses however faulted the number of casualties declared by the police, insisting that no fewer than nine passengers from the two buses died at the spot.
It was gathered that the tipper while on top speed, was trying to overtake another tipper, when it lost control and had a head-on collision with the two mini buses conveying passengers from the Ring Road axis to Upper Sokponba area.
SP Bello told journalists that the injured passengers were rushed to various health facilities for treatment, while the driver of the tipper has been arrested.
Police operatives and men of the State Vigilante group were seen at the scene of the crash trying to restore normalcy to the area.
It was gathered that the dead persons have been deposited in the mortuary, while other survivors with severe injuries are in the Intensive Care Unit of the Edo Specialist Hospital in Benin City.
Passerby and concerned residents gathered to help the victims.
The incident which caused traffic logjam, with many commuters going to their respective places of work stranded, while others resorted to trekking to their various destinations.
Credit: NDT