A quiet Sunday night in Anambra State turned tragic after a devastating road crash claimed eight lives and left several others seriously injured along the busy Nteje-Awka road.
The deadly accident occurred near Ukpo Junction in Dunukofia Local Government Area, when a commercial passenger bus collided head-on with a fuel tanker, triggering a scene of chaos and heartbreak.
Officials from the Federal Road Safety Corps confirmed that eight passengers lost their lives in the crash, while six others sustained varying degrees of injuries and were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment.
According to preliminary reports, the accident happened around 9:00 p.m. on Sunday and involved a Toyota Hiace commercial bus travelling from Abakaliki in Ebonyi State to Onitsha.
Eyewitnesses said the tragedy occurred when the bus attempted to overtake another vehicle on the single carriageway at high speed before colliding with a Mack tanker heading in the opposite direction toward Awka.
The violent impact left the bus badly mangled, trapping some passengers inside the wreckage and causing panic among other motorists and residents in the area.
Rescue teams from the FRSC arrived at the scene shortly after the crash to evacuate the injured and recover the bodies of the victims. The injured passengers were taken to nearby medical facilities, while the remains of those who died were moved to a mortuary after doctors confirmed the fatalities.
Authorities disclosed that the victims included four men and four women, while the injured comprised two men and four women who suffered different degrees of trauma from the collision.
Officials believe excessive speed and dangerous overtaking were major factors behind the crash, highlighting once again the persistent dangers of reckless driving on Nigeria’s highways.
The road where the accident occurred is a major link between commercial hubs in the South-East and often experiences heavy traffic, particularly from commercial vehicles travelling between Ebonyi, Anambra and neighbouring states.
Sector Commander of the FRSC in Anambra expressed sympathy to the families of the victims and wished those injured a speedy recovery, while urging drivers to obey traffic regulations and avoid risky manoeuvres on highways.
Road safety advocates say incidents like this continue to expose the dangers posed by speeding, poor lane discipline and overtaking on narrow single carriageways.
For many families, however, the warning comes too late – Sunday night’s tragedy has already left homes shattered and loved ones grieving across communities connected to the ill-fated journey.
