From Our Correspondent
Eight persons on Sunday lost their lives with six others injured in a road accident at Ukpo Junction on Nteje-Awka Road in Anambra State.
This was disclosed yesterday by the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Anambra State Command.
Confirming the accident yesterday in Akwa, the Sector Commander of FRSC, Mrs Joyce Alexander said the crash involved a Mack tanker without a registration number and a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number, EKP375XM.
Alexander attributed the accident to speeding and wrongful overtaking which led to a head-on collision.
She said an eyewitness account and preliminary investigation showed that the bus was traveling from Abakaliki to Onitsha.
“The bus was speeding and overtook dangerously before colliding with the tanker, which was heading towards Awka on a single carriageway.
“The crash resulted in eight fatalities – four males and four females, while six others comprising two males and four females were injured.
“The rescue team from Nteje attended to the injured victims, transporting them to the hospital for treatment.
“They took the bodies of the deceased to Jerusalem Mortuary in Nteje after confirmation by a doctor,” she said.
The sector commander visited the surviving victims at Regina Caeli Hospital and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Teaching Hospital in Awka to assess their condition and offer support.
Alexander condoled the families of the dead and wished speedy recovery to the injured victims.
She also met with the chief of Taskforce, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, to identify areas for improvement and implement measures to reduce the risk of future accidents.
She urged drivers to prioritise their safety and that of others by maintaining a safe speed.
“Drivers must ensure that they drive at a minimum safe speed and only overtake when the road is clear,” she said.
