Auto-Crash Claims 11 Lives In Enugu On Valentine’s Day

At least 11 persons have lost their lives in a fatal road accident that occurred along Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway by Four Corner junction in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State.

THE WHISTLER gathered that the accident occurred around 6:40pm Saturday at a location adjacent to the FRSC Ozalla Unit Command in the expressway.

The dead compromised 10 males and one female. An eyewitness attributed the accident to driving against the traffic.

“The road is not in order; because of that, many drivers follow one way. That caused the accident. It is unfortunate,” said the eyewitness.

Meanwhile, the Sector Commander of FRSC, Enugu State Command, Mr Franklin Agbakoba, has confirmed the incident.

He told newsmen that, “A total of 36 persons, which included 27 males and nine female, got involved in the collision between a commercial Toyota Coaster Bus and an articulated Mercedes Benz trailer.

“Apart from those that unfortunately lost their lives due to the accident, seven persons, which included three males and four females, were injured in the accident. The injured victims have been taken to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla, for medical attention. The dead victims were taken to the UNTH morgue.”

He said the incident caused gridlock, adding however that FRSC personnel promptly cleared the ensuing obstruction.

He said, “We restored free flow of vehicular traffic on the accident axis of the expressway. Preliminary investigations indicate that route traffic violations and loss of control (LOC) are the possible causes of the fatal accident.”

Meanwhile, a resident of Akegbe-Ugwu in Nkanu West LGA, John Ewo, has appealed to the federal government to expedite action on the ongoing dualisation of the road.

According to him, “The number of lives lost annually on this axis can’t be quantified. Recall that multiple road mishaps claimed many lives around Four Corner last year. The cause is because of the non-functional dual carriageway. Heavy duty vehicles use the routes on a daily basis. Port-Harcourt expressway is among the busiest roads in the South East. Work has been ongoing on that road since I was born. I hope the necessary attention would be given to the expressway to reduce these avoidable losses of lives and property.”