Auto crash kills six in Enugu

Six people were killed in a road accident involving multiple vehicles on Tuesday along the 9th Mile-Ugwu Onyeama road in Enugu.

The accident, which involved a petroleum tanker, a Jeep, a GUO Hiace bus, and a truck with a heavy load, had many casualties.

According to NAN, some of the survivors were taken to Our Saviour Medical Centre, 9th Mile, Enugu, the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu, and the Enugu State University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Parklane, for treatment.

Speaking after visiting the scene and the hospitals, Enugu State Deputy Governor Ifeanyi Ossai said the remote cause of the accident was yet to be ascertained, as the government was waiting for a report from the institutions responsible to inform them of what happened.

“Unfortunately, we lost some lives while a couple of our citizens were injured. We have visited the scene of the accident and various hospitals where the survivors were hospitalised, and we are grateful to the doctors for their prompt interventions. We are also grateful to the security agencies that came for immediate rescue,” he said.

Ossai said the state government would support those injured for their treatment and post-treatment rehabilitation.

The medical director of Our Saviour Medical Centre, Dr Emma Ngwu, described the accident as “ghastly with a lot of fatalities.”

He said 14 survivors were brought to the hospital, while six dead bodies were deposited in the hospital’s morgue.

“We have been busy all this time, trying to make sure those of them who are alive get treated, and 10 of them are seriously injured,” he said.

A survivor who identified himself as Blessing said the GUO bus filled with passengers took off from Abakaliki, in Ebonyi State, heading to Lagos, before the accident occurred.