Unidentified drivers of a commercial blue Scania truck with the license plate LSD697YD and a commercial blue/white Mistibuchi L300 bus with the license plate LEH596XA collided, causing the deaths of three people.
The fatal collision happened on Friday at the Onitsha head bridge of the Asaba-Onitsha Expressway.
Ten people, six adult males and four adult females, were reportedly engaged in the collision. Three people—two men and one woman—died immediately, but three other women were hurt.
According to an eyewitness, the casualties were reportedly pedestrians who were crossing the bridge.
The victims were transported to a hospital by the Federal Road Safety Corps’ rescue team in Onitsha, where the attending physician pronounced the three victims dead and placed their bodies in the morgue.
The acting Sector Public Education Officer, FRSC in Anambra, Margaret Onabe, confirmed the accident on behalf of the Sector Commander, adding that the injured people were currently undergoing medical attention.
Onabe determined that mechanical failure and brake failure were the most likely causes of the deadly collision.
She said, “The truck developed fault and broke down on the bridge. On sighting a towing van towing another vehicle out of the bridge. The driver of the truck sensed that the towing truck might come back later to tow his vehicle, he quickly moved his vehicle without fixing the defect.
“The driver moved the vehicle and the brake failed on the bridge, lost control and rammed into pedestrians who were walking down the bridge, killing three persons instantly, while three others sustained injuries.
“The vehicle kept moving and on getting to the place where Ojukwu statue was erected, it finally collided with a bus going towards Asaba and crashed. The driver took to his heels thereafter.
“As of the time of filing this report, the rescue team on the ground are managing traffic, there was no obstruction caused by the crash, there is normal traffic flow, efforts are being made to tow the vehicles to the police station.”
The Anambra State Sector Commander, Corps Commander Adeoye Irelewuyi, expressed sympathy to the relatives of the deceased victims and asked God to grant them eternal rest while also wishing the injured victims a speedy recovery.
Before driving on the road, he asked drivers to make sure their cars are frequently serviced and maintained to meet minimal safety criteria.
