By Kayode Olabanji

Pandemonium broke out in Oke Aro in Akure on Friday morning after a ghastly accident along the Itagbanja axis of Idanre Road claimed the lives of three persons.

The fatal crash, which involved a commercial tricycle, popularly called Maruwa, and a truck, was said to have been caused by reckless driving on the part of both drivers, according to multiple eyewitnesses.

Among the deceased, yet to be formally identified, were a husband and his wife, witnesses revealed. While two of the victims died on the spot, the third reportedly gave up the ghost while being rushed to hospital.

When our correspondent visited the scene, bloodstains were still visible on the road. The mangled remains of the tricycle, also referred to as Keke Napep, had been cleared from the scene.

Weekend Hope gathered that the driver of the truck, in a bid to evade an irate mob, fled immediately after the crash but later turned himself in at the B Division Police Station in Oke Aro.

The tragedy sparked outrage among residents, who marched to the police station, hurling stones and demanding justice for the victims.

In response, police operatives fired tear gas to disperse the protesters, a move that only heightened tensions in the already agitated community.

In the aftermath of the chaos, several commercial tricycles were said to have been impounded by security operatives.

The corpses of the victims have since been deposited in the morgue, even as investigations into the accident continue.

All efforts to get comments from police personnel at the station proved abortive, as the atmosphere remained tense and volatile.