At least ten people have reportedly died in a tragic motor accident on the Enugu‑Onitsha Expressway in Enugu State. The crash occurred around 9 a.m. near the CBN Bus Stop in Enugu. An 18‑seater bus bearing the Enugu registration number XL884 ENU collided with a trailer truck carrying cement.
Eyewitnesses said the two vehicles were forced to use a single lane because potholes had rendered the other lane unusable. According to one witness, Ifeanyi Ejike, the bus was packed with commuters from Abakpa in Enugu East Local Government Area and was heading toward the New Market community when the accident happened. “The driver, whose name we learned is Simeon, was coming from Abakpa and tried to overtake a vehicle ahead that was emitting a lot of smoke from its exhaust. As he attempted the overtaking maneuver, the trailer was very close, and the next thing we heard was a loud crash; the bus was completely damaged,” he recounted. “I don’t know how many survived, but I counted eight dead bodies on the floor.”
Many observers attributed the avoidable crash to the poor condition of the road, which has forced motorists to travel in a single lane. Police, the Nigerian Army and the Federal Road Safety Corps were on the scene to control traffic and maintain order. Victims and the deceased were rushed to Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, ESUT‑Parklane.
Attempts to contact the State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, were unsuccessful; his phone remained busy and he had not responded to a text message at the time of this report.
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