From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
At least ten people were killed in a ghastly motor accident involving a luxury bus almost fully loaded and an empty sand tipper along Onitsha/Owerri Road, precisely at Orogwe market bus stop in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State on Friday.
An eyewitness, who narrated the gory incident to our correspondent, said the bus, which belongs to the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic and Revival Ministry was conveying members of the church from Lagos to its programme scheduled to commence today in Owerri when the incident occurred at about 6am.
According to the source, the bus which was on a high speed tried to avoid the tipper, which was driving out from an adjoining road, along the highway before it unfortunately rammed into awaiting passengers at the bus stop.
The source further said that the bus also hit the tipper from behind forcing it to ram into the culvert on the road. The tipper driver and his motor boy were said to have died instantly. However, the bus driver as at the time of this report was said to have survived the incident.
One of the survivors of the incident, in tears said: “We’re many in that vehicle, I don’t know if it’s full or not, but our loads were also inside, we were going to our church programme in Owerri when we met this accident.”
The middle-aged woman who survived with her daughter continued: “Our load is still trapped in the bus, but that’s not what we’re saying now, a lot of people have been taken to the hospital, most of them were removed from under the bus.”
Another source, who owned a shop at the same line the bus rammed into said: “I thank God for my life, I think my being alive is spiritual. I was battling with some flies in my house at about 5 am in the morning, I normally resume there at about few minutes to seven, but I was delayed because of the battle with the strange flies, behold when I came few minutes after, I saw the accident.”
The shop owner, who simply identifies his name as Nnamdi, also thanked God that the incident occurred few hours before occupants of the shops normally open for business.
Some of the indigenes of the area also claimed that a similar accident that claimed lives occurred four years ago at the same very spot.
Meanwhile, the General Overseer of the church, Pastor Lazarus Muoka, is expected at the Owerri crusade today.