by Rachel Ogbu

18 people have died in a road accident involving a truck and a Peace Mass Transit commercial bus at Okada along the Benin-Ore-Lagos expressway.

The tragedy which occurred Monday afternoon had claimed the lives of two children.

According to sources, the truck loaded with gravel lost a tyre and collided with the Peace Mass Transit bus which was travelling from Onitsha to Lagos.

It is believed that fuel began to spill from the bus and before passengers could get out, the bus went up in flames.

Hundreds of passengers on the expressway were stranded for several hours afterwards as rescue officials arrived the scene to handle the situation.

[READ: Friday Tragedy: 50 reported dead in a road accident along the Ore – Benin highway (VIDEO)]

A combined team of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) officials, Policemen and sympathisers rescued two people from the truck.

Edo State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Kenneth Nwaegbe, who confirmed the accident, said the truck was among the vehicles on the one lane following construction work on the road when the accident occurred.

The victims were deceased were taken to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, mortuary.