FIFTEEN people were crushed to death yesterday, in an early hour auto crash involving a truck loaded with two 40 feet containers, which lost control and fell on passersby at the foot of the Niger Bridge in the commercial city of Onitsha, Anambra State.
Eyewitness told NEWSMEN t that the accident occurred when the driver of the truck, which lost control, ran into other oncoming vehicles as he tried to escape from street urchins who usually collect emblem fees for the state government in the place.
The truck, with registration number XM 858 MUS, was said to have caused multiple accidents involving seven other vehicles, out of which were four commercial buses and three other private vehicles going to Asaba from Onitsha.
Some of the vehicles were crushed beyond recognition, while others fell into ditches in the cause of the accident.
Most of the occupants in the commercial buses, who died immediately, were identified by the vehicles’ registration numbers: XA 556 BUR, XD 566 ABN, XA 893 ACA and AWK 526 XA.
An eyewitness, who narrowly escaped death in one of the affected commercial buses, Mrs. Rose Iwuno, said she boarded the vehicle going towards the Toll Gate, Asaba, to purchase some house items before the accident occurred.
‘We were going to Asaba through the other lane but suddenly, our driver noticed that the driver of the truck with two containers coming into Onitsha had lost control of his truck as he drove roughly on the road.
‘Our driver tried to swerve and dodge the oncoming truck, but it was too late as he rammed into vehicles on both sides of the road. Most of those in our bus passed out.
All I could remember was a heavy sound that occurred when one of the containers from the truck fell off and crushed a bus in front of us before rolling down towards our own bus,’ she explained.
Mrs. Iwuno said the 40 ft. container fell off from the truck when the driver lost control, resulting in the heavy truck skidding off the road and was running at the other lane, after which it rammed at one of the heavy pillars at the bridgehead and then somersaulted.
She added, ‘The number of casualties as it stands now, I cannot count but all I can tell you is see that bus that was smashed, I don’t think that anybody will come out of it alive, because the containers were very heavy and there was no Road Safety officer to help, so the casualties definitely will reach up to 20.’
The Moment checks at the scene revealed that some of the victims of the multiple accidents were dismembered. While some fell into the ditch when the accident occurred, one of the victims, who was still trapped under the container was gasping for air, but could not be helped.
A victim who was cut into two during the accident was sighted still crying for help, but when sympathisers tried to lift the heavy container, it proved impossible and the people watched helplessly as the victim gave up the ghost.
It was learnt that no help could come the way of four other persons also trapped under the container as at 8.30 a.m. There was no single officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to help evacuate the injured victims.
The only help came from the Acting Police Area Commander, Onitsha, and the Divisional Police Officer(DPO) of Fegge Police Station, Mr. Rowland Omatoje and Tafida respectively.
The incident, however, took another dimension when angry mob went on rampage and set the makeshift office of the emblem collectors on the ever busy Onitsha/Asaba highway ablaze, but the urchins took to their heels.
Help finally came when workers of the Consolidated Construction Company (CCC), who came with their heavy equipment, joined sympathisers to lift the container and evacuate the dismembered bodies of the victims to an undisclosed mortuary. The injured victims were also taken to hospitals.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Emeka Chukwuemeka, confirmed the incident, saying only two persons died. He said only five vehicles were involved, with some of their occupants severely injured.
As at the time of filing this report, the new Unit Commander of FRSC, Onitsha, Mr.Fredrick Oko, who could not give the number of casualties, said he was still collating, but confirmed the multiple accidents.
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