5 killed, 3 injured in southern Nigeria road accident

ABUJA - At least five people were killed and three others sustained injuries Thursday in a fatal road accident in Nigeria's southern state of Lagos, the traffic police said.

Sulaiman Taiwo, a commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the country's traffic police, told reporters that an overspeeding sports utility vehicle lost control and rammed into a motorbike laden with petrol, causing an explosion along the Badagry-Seme expressway.

The raging fire immediately burned three victims beyond recognition, while two others lost their lives during the rescue operation by the FRSC, Taiwo said.

According to him, three persons that survived the inferno were taken to a nearby hospital while the remains of the dead victims were deposited at the mortuary in the same hospital.

Deadly road accidents are frequently reported in Nigeria, often caused by overloading, bad road conditions, and reckless driving.