Eight persons have been confirmed dead while six others sustained injuries following a tragic road crash at Ukpo Junction along the Nteje-Awka Road in Anambra State on Sunday night.
According to Mrs. Joyce Alexander, Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Anambra, the accident involved a Mack tanker without a registration number and a Toyota Hiace bus registered as EKP 375 XM.
Preliminary investigations and eyewitness reports revealed that the ill-fated bus was traveling from Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, to Onitsha when the crash occurred. The bus, reportedly speeding and overtaking dangerously, collided head-on with the tanker along the single carriageway.
Tragically, the accident resulted in the loss of eight lives — four men and four women — while six others, comprising two men and four women, sustained varying degrees of injury.
The FRSC rescue team from Nteje rushed the injured victims to Regina Caeli Hospital and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Teaching Hospital, both in Awka. Meanwhile, the deceased were taken to the Jerusalem Mortuary, Nteje, after medical confirmation.
The Sector Commander visited the surviving victims to assess their condition and extended condolences to the bereaved families.
She also called for greater caution on the roads, particularly for vehicles traveling from Ebonyi and neighboring states.
“Drivers must maintain safe speeds and only overtake when absolutely safe,” Alexander urged.
The FRSC has pledged to work with relevant unions, including the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, to implement measures that would reduce road crashes along major routes connecting Ebonyi to other states.
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