From Chuks Onuoha, Umuahia
Three persons were confirmed dead at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Umuahia, yesterday morning when four vehicles were involved in a multiple auto crash at the Ubakala axis of the Enugu/ Port-Harcourt Expressway.
Vehicles involved in the crash included a Toyota Hilux van with registration number CG 539RSH, said to belong to an arm of the law enforcement agency, a Peugeot J5 bus marked XA 874 AKW, a Mercedes Benz tipper with registration number EGG 555 YG, and a commercial bus, whose identification number could not be ascertained at the scene due to the fact that it had been towed away before the arrival of newsmen.
Abdulhamid Abubakar, who narrowly escaped death, said at the hospital bed of FMC that over speeding by the Hilux van driver was the cause of the accident.
He said they were four people in the J5 bus travelling from Lafia, Nasarawa State to Aba in Abia State to sell oranges and garden eggs.
“Three of my friends, Husaini Tanko, Imamu Abubakar and Ibrahim Abubakar and I were in the J5 bus when the vehicle in front of us applied the brakes suddenly, as it tried to dodge the oncoming Hilux van that was about to overtake a tipper in front of it.
Abubarker said the bus lost control and ran into the bush, while their vehicle somersaulted and later caught fire.
“The Hilux van also rammed into the tipper it was about to overtake, unfortunately one of us died, while two of us were injured. One of us did not sustain any injury,” Abubakar explained.
An eyewitness, who identified himself as Emeka confirmed Abubakar’s story.
Emeka, a mortuary attendant close to the scene of the accident along the expressway said one of the victims was burnt to death, while others were injured.
He said he drove the victims to FMC, Umuahia where they were confirmed dead and their remains deposited in the morgue.
Madubuoko Darlington, the Public Relations Officer of FMC Umuahia, also confirmed the incident .
He told Daily Sun that the police and good spirited citizens brought some accident victims to the hospital at 9am.
“Two people were certified dead while six others are being treated by our doctors, but one of them later died.”
He added that it was only the dead and three injured victims that were identified by their relations.
He called on people whose relations traveled and had not come back to check the accident and emergency ward to identify them for assistance.
A staff of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) who craved anonymity confirmed the incident, stating that the corps would make its position public after investigation.