Black Wednesday: 21 School Children,Teacher, Others Die In Ghastly Auto-Crash
LAGOS OCTOBER 30TH (NEWSRANGERS)-It was a black Wednesday in Mgbowo, Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State, as 21 persons, many of whom were pupils of Presentation Nursery and Primary School, owned by the Catholic Diocese of Awgu, died in a road crash.
The accident put many families in
mourning, as a family is reported to have lost three of their children in the
incident.
It was gathered that the fully loaded 608 Mercedes Benz bus conveying the
pupils had 64 occupants, which included 61 students, two teachers, and the
driver.
The Guardian gathered that the incident, which involved a low-bed trailer
belonging to a construction company, occurred about 4:30 p.m. while the pupils
were being conveyed home.
The trailer reportedly developed brake problems and lost control, hurtling down
from the Mmaku slope of Oji River-Awgu Road into Nkwo Junction linking Old
Enugu-Port-Harcourt expressway and rammed into the school bus, and then into a
welder’s shop, where the welder and his apprentice were working.
Also killed in the accident were
some members of the school staff, a vulcaniser, a commercial motorcyclist, and
an auto mechanic.
It was gathered that some pupils and other road users at the scene also
sustained injuries and were rushed to nearby hospitals by sympathisers, just as
parents besieged the scene and sought to verify bodies from the ill-fated bus.
The driver of the bus and that of the low-bed reportedly survived the accident.
“The driver of the heavy-duty trailer ran away from the scene after forcing the
vehicle to a halt inside the bush,’’ an eyewitness said.
The Enugu Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ogbonnaya
Kalu, who confirmed the incident, said it was caused by a brake failure and
reckless driving.
“As we speak, the confirmed number
of death is 21. Of note is that not all the deaths were school children. Those
working on the roadside were part of the casualties. There were a lot of
artisans where the crash happened. Information reaching me also has it that the
low-bed has a problem,” he added.
Efforts to reach the Awgu Council Chairman, Pedro Nwankwo, proved abortive. The
school belongs to the Catholic Diocese of Awgu and is run by sisters from the
Daughters of Divine Love (DDL) congregation.
In Lagos State, a truck driver was confirmed dead yesterday, while his
assistant escaped unhurt after their truck fell sideways at Owode-Elede, inward
Mile 12, around 5:30 a.m. The victims were heading from Ikorodu to Lagos in a
truck laden with iron rods.
Eyewitnesses’ account said the incident occurred when the truck miscalculated
and ran into a bump at Owode-Elede, where it thereafter fell sideways,
discharging its contents on the road. A car, which ran into the scene, got
trapped, but sympathisers were said to have immediately rescued its two
occupants.
Officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) arrived at
the scene as the accident had resulted in gridlock in the axis, which stretched
as far as Itowolo, such that many road users had to cancel their journey and
return home.
An eyewitness, Mr Sarafadeen Aileru, said the incident would have claimed more
lives if not for the prompt arrival of emergency responders. LASEMA
Director-General, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, attributed the incident to
overloading and reckless driving on the part of the truck driver.
Guardian
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Posted by News Rangers
on Oct 30 2020. Filed under National.
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