Tragedy struck in Ilorin Kwara State Nigeria on Sunday June 14 2020 as three persons of the same family lost their lives when the car they were traveling in plunged into a river following the sudden collapse of a bridge due to a heavy downpour in Ilorin.
The DAILY VENDOR reports that the incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday on Okoerin road, off Ibrahim Taiwo road, in the Ilorin metropolis.
An wye witness accounts informed The Daily Vendor that the incident occurred during a heavy rain which lasted for about five hours.
It was reported that there were five people in the Toyota car with registration number LRN-978FE when the unfortunate accident took place.
“”The bridge had been in existence for over two decades and it suddenly collapsed during the rain when the car reached the place and the car plunged into the flowing river under the bridge”. Said our sources.
Two out of the five occupants of the vehicle were said to have escaped without any injury.
The car was still trapped in the river at the time of filling this report and nothing has been done.
The State Director of Fire Service, Mr Abdulwaheed Iyanda-Yakubu , confirmed that three persons of the same family’ lost their lives in the accident.
He said the state Fire Service was able to recover only one dead body and is yet to recover the bodies of the other two victims.
“We are still searching for the remaining two bodies since the river is flowing one, we are making effort to secure the other two dead bodies,” He said.
The state Commissioner for Works and Transport, Mr Rotimi Iliasu, while speaking with newsmen after he visited the collapsed bridge described the incident as unfortunate and commiserated with the family of the dead.
Iliasu attributed the bridge’s collapsed to constant dumping of refuse under the bridge which he said impeded free flow of water.
He called on residents of the state to desist from dumping refuse under bridges and water ways to avert disasters.
The Commissioner, emphasised that the importance of the road, said the Ministry had begun repair works on the bridge.
