A mild traffic slowdown occurred along the Asaba Expressway, just before the Asaba International Airport junction, after a vehicle conveying a corpse from Lagos went up in flames on Tuesday.
An eyewitness, Philip Odia, recounted that the Sienna van had earlier developed a mechanical fault, leaving the occupants stranded as they attempted to secure another vehicle to continue their journey.
According to him, efforts to transfer the coffin into the newly hired vehicle proved challenging. In the midst of their attempts, the faulty Sienna suddenly caught fire, forcing everyone to flee for safety.
He confirmed that the driver and other occupants escaped without injuries. Unfortunately, the vehicle was completely razed, including the coffin it was transporting, before help could arrive.
The incident left many motorists shocked, as they briefly stopped to assess the situation before traffic flow was restored.
NIM
