Police confirm 10 dead, 10 injured in Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway crashes

By Stanley Nwanosike

Two separate fatal accidents involving at least seven vehicles and a tricycle claimed 10 lives with two others injured along the Ozalla/Four-Corner Enugu axis of the Enugu-Port-Harcourt Expressway on Wednesday, the police have confirmed.

Enugu Police Command’s spokesman, SP Daniel Ndukwe, in a statement issued to newsmen on Wednesday said the 10 people who were left with various degrees of injuries from the multiple are currently being treated at different hospitals.

Ndukwe said the first incident, a multiple-vehicle crash, happened at about 9a.m. on the expressway and claimed six lives as two of the vehicles involved burst into flames after head-on collision.

“A Howo truck, inscribed Visco Investment Global and laden with bags of white cement, was en route Abuja from Aba, Abia State, when it collided with a Toyota Corolla car while attempting to overtake another truck on the same route.

“A Foton bus and a Daihatsu Hijet mini-bus, both driving one-way, were also caught in the collision.

“Sadly, the truck head and the Toyota Corolla car went up in flames, with five occupants of the car burning to death. A passenger in the mini-bus was equally confirmed dead by the attending medical doctor.”

The Police spokesperson added that the second incident occurred at about 3p.m. on the same road with as a truck driving on one-way rammed into a tricycle, leading to four deaths.

“This time, it involved a Sino truck belonging to Global Investment and a tricycle.

“The truck, laden with cement and driving one-way from Garriki Enugu to Nenwe in Aninri LGA, on the same Enugu inward-bound lane, rammed into the tricycle, leading to the death of its four occupants.

“They were rushed to the hospital but later confirmed dead,” he said.

The spokesman said that the State’s Commissioner of Police, Mr Mamman Giwa, had mourned the tragic loss of lives and commiserated with the families of the deceased.

He said that the commissioner also directed the State Motor Traffic Department to carry out a diligent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accidents.

“These crashes are avoidable as drivers need to exercise utmost care, especially during these Ember Months, when road traffic usually increases and possibility of accidents increases too,” Ndukwe quoted the commissioner as saying.

Ndukwe said that the commissioner reminded motorists that “no journey is worth the loss of lives, adding that drivers should shun recklessness, obey traffic rules and prioritise safety over speed to prevent further tragedies.

(NAN)