From Ben Dunno, Warri
About 10 parishioners of Mother of Redeemer Catholic Church, Effurun, Delta State, have been confirmed dead in a ghastly motor accident which occurred at Ogwashi-Ukwu in Aniocha-South Local Government Area (LGA) on their way back to Warri from the burial ceremony of an aged parishioner in Anambra state at the weekend.
Scores of other victims involved in the accident were currently in critical conditions at the various hospitals in Ogwashi-Ukwu, where they were rushed into, for treatments by some passers by at the scene of the accident.
Daily Sun investigation revealed that the parishioners of the Mother of Redeemer Catholic Church had come out in their large numbers, on Saturday morning, joined buses provided by the family of the late patriarch, Chief Pa. Patrick Ofor, popularly known as Peg Ofor, the Chairman of Peg Ofor Nigeria Limited, who was slated for burial at his home town in Ekwulumili, after Nnewi, in Anambra state, last Saturday.
It was leant that they come out early, on Saturday morning, to join the available buses for the trip and it was on their way returning at about 4pm that the tyre of one of the buses conveying the parishioners bursted shortly after passing Asaba, the Delta state capital, causing a somersault that led to the casualty recorded.
The news of the sad incident, which threw the entire Warri and its environs into mourning this morning, saw families, friends of the victims and the entire parishioners, including officiating priests.
The Delta police Command Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Bright Edafe, who confirmed the accident in a telephone conversation with Daily Sun, described the incident as unfortunate.
He noted that the Command acted swiftly to the distress call made after the accident occurred that Saturday evening, adding it was due to their prompt intervention that they had to rush the victims in critical condition to the hospital for attention.