The Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway was the scene of a horrifying tragedy that left no less than 11 people dead and one person unconscious, according to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
Two of the 14 people involved in the collision, which occurred on Sunday at about 8:45 p.m., suffered minor injuries, according to the FRSC.
The event was reported on Monday in Enugu by Joseph Toby, sector commander of the FRSC, Enugu State Command.
According to Mr. Toby, a truck with a driver and his conductor and a bus carrying 12 passengers collided, causing the tragedy.
He said those on the 14-seater bus were making a night journey from Owerri, Imo State capital, to Kano.
He said FRSC marshals were deployed to the scene of the accident immediately after they were contacted by individuals, adding that “immediately we called in the state fire servicemen”.
“It is highly likely that the 14-seater bus might have carried at least one or two gallons of fuel that ignited immediately after the collision.
“It was not just an accident but a serious fire scene in which the state fire service spent several minutes and a reinforcement of their water truck to put out.
“Then, we (FRSC officials) moved in and recovered the trapped and dead bodies in the bus.
“The only survival of the bus, who jumped out of the bus forcefully and still unconscious, has been taken by our personnel to the accident and emergency ward of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu,” he said.
The commander noted that the identity of the 14-seater bus was unclear even when its registration number, KTG 41 XD, was verified on the FRSC system; it was not identified to anybody.
“This development has made contact tracing of the victim's relatives difficult for the corps,” he said.
Mr Toby advised motorists and passengers to refrain from the temptation of night travels and “learn to plan their journeys ahead of time during the day”.
(NAN)