Drowned Bus: NEMA Recovers Remaining Five Bodies

The National Emergency Management Agency said on Tuesday that the remaining five corpses of the victims of the passenger bus that plunged into a river along Ijebu-Ode/Ore Expressway on Friday had been recovered.

One more corpse was recovered on Sunday in addition to the 12 bodies recovered on Saturday.

The 36-seater Federal Urban Mass Transit Scheme bus with registration number ABUJA 428 XA conveying 21 passengers from Lagos to Benin, Edo State, for a funeral ceremony plunged into the river when the driver allegedly dozed off and lost control of the vehicle.

While three of the passengers of the ill-fated bus survived the accident, officials of NEMA, Federal Road Safety Corps and Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement only succeeded in pulling out the bus and recovered 12 bodies on Saturday.

NEMA South West Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, said on Tuesday in Abeokuta that the recovery of the additional five bodies had brought the total number of the dead victims to 18.

“All the remaining five bodies have been recovered this morning bringing the total to 21. Mrs.  Christiana Umwena, a survivor, revealed that 21 people were on board. Families of the victims have been collecting the remains of their relations at Ijebu-Ode General,” Farinloye said.