A 40-foot container truck that fell along the Mgbaemene end of the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway in Anambra State has caused traffic gridlock and attracted the ire of stranded motorists. The incident reportedly occurred when the driver was conveying the container to Onitsha Market and lost control of the vehicle, causing it to fall on the road. As a result, other motorists were left with a narrow path to ply the busy highway, leading to significant delays.
Emergency responders failed to evacuate the truck after the accident, compounded by heavy rain that fell on Friday and made some parts muddy. This caused commercial drivers to increase transport fares, leaving commuters stranded.
Despite the efforts of naval officials and other emergency responders to control the traffic on the expressway, the gridlock persisted due to the abandoned truck. The truck is yet to be evacuated as at the time of filing this report.
On a visit to the scene, a commuter known only as Madam Chioma expressed her concerns over the situation, saying that commuters have been suffering on the expressway since Thursday when the accident occurred. She decried the slow response of the emergency response team, which has left the truck on the road for three days.
An anonymous official of the Federal Road Safety Corps said that the response team was waiting for a crane to arrive to remove the truck. She urged motorists to exercise caution and comply with the directive of the response team.
In conclusion, stranded motorists and commuters have expressed concern over the slow response of emergency responders and appealed to the relevant authorities to expedite the process of evacuating the truck to decongest the busy highway.
