Tragedy struck at the Molete area of Ibadan, Oyo State, on Sunday, as a tanker loaded with liquefied gas veered off the road and overran traders and passersby at the Bode Market.

Residents, traders and sympathisers were in tears when our correspondent visited the scene on Sunday.

While residents said no fewer than 10 persons were crushed to death, the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps in Oyo State, Uche Chukwura, said four persons died, while six were injured.

Some of the dead victims were said to have been buried by their families.

A shoe maker, Biodun Omotola, told UGAMATV that the accident happened around 8.30am when traders were just arriving at the market.

He said a metal refuse bin on the road reduced the speed of the truck, which was descending the slope.

Omotola said, “The truck hit a tricycle that was dropping a passenger against the bin. This reduced the speed before it ran into the market and crushed the people on its path. The accident would have been worse if the truck did not ram into that refuse bin first before going into the market.”

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One of the administrators of the market, Abdulsalam Nurudeen, said the truck had a brake failure at the Oja Oba area, adding that the driver was struggling with it until it got to the market where he lost control.

A market leader, Dauda Iyanda, aka Abule, said, “We cannot say this is the number of persons killed by the truck until it is removed from where it fell. There may be some persons under the truck.”

The Director of Operations of the Oyo State Fire Service Agency, Ismail Adeleke, said firefighters from the state and federal fire services moved to the scene immediately they got a call about the accident.

He said, “We have not been able to remove the truck because we have to be extremely careful with it so that it won’t explode. That is why our men have been pouring water on it to keep it cool to avoid an explosion. We are awaiting a crane and when that comes, I believe the tanker will be removed.”