11 dead in Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway auto crash

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed no fewer than 11 people dead and one unconscious in a ghastly accident close to the Four Corner Junction along Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway.

The FRSC also revealed that two people among the total of 14 involved in the accident at about 8:45pm on Sunday, Oct. 30, sustained minor injuries.

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The Sector Commander of the FRSC, Enugu State Command, Mr Joseph Toby, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Enugu.

Toby said that the accident followed a collision between a 14-seater bus with 12 occupants and a truck with a driver and his conductor.

He said that those on the 14-seater bus were travelling from Owerri, Imo State capital, to Kano.

He said FRSC marshals were deployed to the scene of the accident immediately after they were contacted by public-spirited individuals, adding that “immediately we called in the state fire service men”.

According to him, “it is highly likely that the 14-seater bus might have carried at least one or two gallons of fuel that got ignited immediately after the collision took place.

“It was not just an accident but a serious fire scene in which the state fire service spent several minutes and a reinforcement of their water truck to put out.

“Then, we (FRSC officials), moved in and recovered the trapped and dead bodies in the bus.

“The only survival of the bus, who jumped out of the bus forcefully and still unconscious, have been taken by our personnel to the accident and emergency ward of University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu,” he said.

The commander noted that the identity of the 14-seater bus was unclear even when its registration number KTG 41 XD was verified on the FRSC system; it was not identified to anybody.

“This development has made contact tracing of the victims’ relatives difficult for the corps,” he said.

Toby advised motorists and passengers to refrain from the temptation of night travels and “learn to plan their journeys ahead of time during the day time”.

“We beg motorists to desist from carrying gallons of fuel or other inflammables in their vehicles or bus loaded with passengers along journeys notwithstanding the benefit from such a negative and dangerous act,” he added. (NAN)