A passenger bus lost control along Amuloko Road in Ibadan on Wednesday and plunged into the Ariyo River, killing three of its eight occupants while rescuers pulled five others to safety.
Firefighters from the Oyo State Fire Services Agency raced to the scene moments after Mrs Fadeke Yusuf raised the alarm with a urgent telephone call.
Upon arrival, the team spotted the Suzuki bus, registered LEW 484 XA from Osun State, partially submerged in the river.
They quickly dragged five survivors from the wreckage and rushed them straight to Ona-Ara Private Hospital in the Jegede area for treatment.
Meanwhile, rescue workers recovered the three lifeless bodies and handed them over to a team of police officers from Ogbere Divisional Headquarters, led by Assistant Superintendent Aishat Ibrahim.
Mr Moroof Akinwande, chairman of the fire services agency, pointed directly to reckless driving as the cause of the crash.
He urged every motorist to slow down, stay alert and follow basic road safety rules to avoid needless tragedies like this one.
In addition, Akinwande praised the swift support from the Oyo State Road Transport Management Agency crew in the Ona Ara Division and Glorious Temitope, chairman of Ona Ara Local Government, who stayed on hand throughout the difficult operation.
