Pregnant woman, 6 others perish in auto crash in Aba

Seven persons, including a pregnant woman and two students of an undisclosed school, over the weekend, lost their lives in Aba the commercial nerve centre of Abia State when a trailer rammed into the tricycle (Keke NAPEP) they were travelling in. The accident, which occurred as a result of recklessness on the part of the trailer driver happened at Km 3, Aba-Azumiri Highway.

According to an eyewitness, the tricycle which loaded at the Opobo Junction in Ogbor Hill, was heading towards Umuogele village near Aba when, on getting to a spot near Ovom Primary School, the driver of the trrailer said to be moving on high speed, lost control and rammed into it. Five persons including the pregnant woman travelling in the tricycle together with its operator where all crushed to death instantly. The trailer then veered off the road and knocked down two students who were returning from school and they died on the spot too.

The pregnant woman and others killed in the fatal accident were returning to their villages after travelling to the metropolis to buy personal effects. When Daily Sun visited the scene of the incident, the ground where the accident occurred was soaked with blood, an indication that the victims must have bled to death. Some people who spoke to Daily Sun blamed the accident on the driver of the trailer who they said drove dangerously and without regard for other road users.

They called on the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to, as a matter of urgency, make their presence felt in the area, stressing that most drivers plying the route did not have regard for highway rules. The bodies of the victims were later removed to a private mortuary in Aba.
From OKEY SAMPSON, Aba
Monday, October 10, 2011