Trailer falls, crushes 6 to death in Anambra
Scene of the accident
By Lawrece Nwimo
Tragedy struck Onitsha yesterday as a trailer carrying container fell killing a Keke Napep driver and 5 other passengers in the process.
The incident which occurred at about 10.45 a.m. along Obodoukwu Road, off Onitsha-Owerri Expressway came as a result of some pot holes which made it difficult for the heavy duty trailer to meander through the busy junction.
According to an eye witness who gave his name as Tochukwu, the trailer was heading towards owerre road when it lost balance and fell on the two tricycles and a shuttle bus leading to the death of all the occupants of the tricycle. However, it took prompt intervention of the residents of the area to rescue two victims who sustained degrees of injuries. The residents could however do little to save those heavily trapped under the weight of the truck as they waited endlessly for response team to arrive with the appropriate equipment.
When our reporter visited the scene of the accident, some of the victims was still trapped under the fallen trailer while the onlookers took turns to condemn the poor response of the men of the Federal Road Safety Commission claiming that the accident had stayed more than two hours before they arrived at the scene.
Another eye witness who gave his name as Nduka Chukwu said: ” the Keke operators were busy loading passenger at the junction when the container was passing them. All of a sudden the trailer lost it’s balance and fell on the passengers. A shuttle and two tricycles loaded with passengers was immediately crushed. We tried and rescued the only two persons who survived.”
Attempts to contact the
Sector Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the state, Mr Kumapayi Ayodele proved futile as of the time of filing this report. But the bodies of the dead victims had been deposited in the mortuary in the town while the injured had been hospitalized.
