Pregnant woman, four others die in Enugu auto crash

An eight-month pregnant woman and four others were yesterday killed in a fatal accident, which occurred on Ugwuogo road, Enugu East local council of Enugu State.

The accident, which occurred after Elim Estate along Ugwogo Road, involved a fully loaded tricycle and a water tanker.

An eyewitness told The Guardian that the tricycle driver was attempting to overtake a trailer carrying cement but unfortunately for him, a water tanker was approaching and he rammed into it.

“The keke (tricycle) driver did a wrong overtaking on this road. Just as he entered the overtaking position, a water tanker was approaching and he was between the trailer and the oncoming tanker. From what I observed, he drove under the tanker and all of them in the Keke died.”

Asked how many persons were inside the tricycle, the source, who simply gave his name as Chukwuemeka, said: “The keke was carrying three persons at the back and one person in the front. As people, including the police from the nearby station, came to help bring out the victims from under the tanker where all of them ended, we found out that one of the passengers was heavily pregnant and she died with her baby.”

It was further gathered that the pregnancy of the deceased woman, who hailed from Udi local council of the state, was already into the eighth month before her untimely death.

The police were said to have helped in moving the remains of the passengers to the morgue.

However, while confirming the incident, Enugu State Police Command Public Relations Officer, ASP Daniel Ndukwe, said only two persons died from the crash while one person was responding to treatment.

“Investigation is ongoing into the case of a fatal motor accident that occurred on 01/09/2021 at 0930hrs, along Ibagwa-Nike Road, involving a tanker and tricycle, in which two persons (a male and female) who sustained degrees of injuries, were rushed to a nearby hospital and confirmed dead by doctors on duty; while one other is responding to treatment,” he said.

(Courtesy The Guardian)