Twelve persons, including four children, were killed and at least eight others were injured after a gas tanker truck collided with a commuter bus on Tuesday along the Owerri/Onitsha expressway in Imo State.
In a statement, Imo State Police Command spokesman Henry Okoye confirmed the terrible event and said that the gas tanker, registered T 16716 LA and displaying the NUPENG inscription, was traveling against traffic when it collided with the bus.
The commuter bus was carrying Jehovah’s Witnesses from Anambra State to Agwa village in Imo State for a church service, Okoye said.
The catastrophe claimed the lives of eight people and four children, while eight others were injured to varied degrees. While the injured are being treated at Divine Hospital in Awo-Omamma, the deceased have been transported to Ogbaku Mortuary, according to Okoye.
Since then, the police have removed the debris and resumed traffic on the busy highway, working with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other emergency personnel, Okoye noted.
He also revealed that an inquiry has been started to ascertain the events leading up to the tanker driver’s risky maneuver against traffic.
As family members of the victims hurried to the scene, locals reported the tragedy produced pandemonium and anguish, according to Daily Trust. Some people were trapped in the wreckage before emergency personnel arrived, and witnesses described the collision as horrifying.
There have been numerous deadly accidents on the Owerri/Onitsha expressway in recent years, which are frequently attributed to careless driving, a lack of road etiquette, and heavy-duty vehicles that operate without proper inspection.
In an effort to avert preventable tragedies, safety advocates have redoubled their demands for improved traffic law enforcement and more surveillance of articulated trucks.
