Ten persons burnt beyond recognition along Okigwe-Afikpo highway

No fewer than 10 persons were feared dead with two others seriously injured in a fatal auto crash that occurred on Ishiagu-Axis of the Okigwe-Afikpo highway.

Mr Jeremiah Aja, an eyewitness told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the accident occurred when a bus belonging to Abia Line Network coming from Umuahia to Afikpo lost control due to excessive speed, killing almost all the passengers on board.

Aja, who witnessed the incident while working on his farm narrated that the bus was moving at an excessive speed and could not negotiate bend.

He said: “The driver could not negotiate a bend due to high speed and he lost control and somersaulted multiple times inside the bush; we were able to rescue two persons before the bus caught fire and we ran away.

“Chief Onyebuchi Ogbadu, the Ivo Local Government Area chairman, brought water tankers and put out the fire.

“Also, the police and officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) teams quickly moved the two persons alive to a nearby hospital where they are now receiving medical treatment.

“More than ten bodies burnt beyond recognition have been evacuated to the mortuary by FRSC officials,” Aja said.

When contacted, Mrs Loveth Odah, Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed the accident but noted that she had yet to be fully briefed on the cause of the accident and number of casualties involved. “We have received information about the fatal accident which happened today along the Ishiagu axis of Okigwe-Afikpo highway but the Divisional Police Officer is currently at the scene of the crash.

“He will give us a clear picture of the incident but for now, I can’t confirm to you the actual number of casualties or the cause ,” Odah said.