5 persons attending burial feared dead in auto crash

By SUNNY NWANKWO, Umuahia

Five yet-to-be-identified persons who were in a motorcade have reportedly died in a motor accident along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway.

The incident, our reporter gathered happened at the Aro Ngwa junction axis of the ever-busy expressway.

Reports have it that the five deceased male passengers in an L300 bus died at the spot.

Sources in the area told our reporter that the deceased persons including others that sustained minor injuries were in the company of an ambulance bearing the corpse of a relative/friend who was to be buried in Mbano LGA in Imo State.

Sources who blamed the driver of the commercial bus for rough driving said that the others in the motorcade continued their journey after the bodies of the deceased were deposited at the mortuary.

“You know the usual way some of these drivers drive when they are in a convoy. From what we learnt, the driver lost control of his vehicle while displaying on the expressway as they were approaching the Aro Ngwa junction.

“It seems like the person that died is either a bus driver or a conductor. They were supposed to do a stopover at Aro Ngwa junction as they used to do for drivers/conductors plying between Aba and Owerri.

“And in their usual manner, a lot of others who may not have been accommodated inside the vehicle will sit on top of the bus, while others will hang either behind or by the side of the bus.

“We learnt that the driver while trying to display his skills lost control of the vehicle and the bus crash-landed. Five persons who were among the people sitting on the roof and by the door, side fell off from the car, unfortunately, the car landed on them, killing about five in the process.

“They spent about 20mins to ensure that the deceased persons were taken to a nearby mortuary before they could continue their journey. From the poster on some of the buses, it seems like they were heading to Mbano in Imo State to bury one of them whose corpse was in an ambulance in the motorcade,” the source narrated.

Efforts to reach the Commissioner of Police, Ene Okon for comments failed as he was not taking calls at the time of filing the report. (The Nation)