On Saturday night, six people died at Imo State University (IMSU), Owerri Junction, after a trailer driver lost control and crashed into vehicles and pedestrians.
It was reported that the incident occurred at 7 p.m. Chidiebube Okeoma, an eyewitness to the incident, said he helped to rush some of the injured to the Federal Medical Centre in Owerri.
According to him, the driver of the articulated vehicle, who was traveling from town to the Owerri-Okigwe lane of the road, drove against traffic and collided with loaded commuter buses and an electric pole nearby, killing several of the victims.
Some passersby attempted to save the victims by rushing them to local hospitals, but no doctors were on duty. The victims were taken to the Federal Medical Centre in Owerri.
While one died on the spot, five others died at the hospital.
Among the victims was a lecturer at IMSU, who was identified as Dr. Nicholas Isinwa from the Department of Marketing, an indigene of the Ohaji Egbema Local Government Area of the state.
The lecturer’s brother, Okpor Dominic, said his death was tragic.
Medical personnel battled to save the lives of others who were in coma. Okeoma said: “We took them to FMC after the nearby hospitals couldn’t offer any help. The vehicle smashed them after it lost control at the IMSU junction. Unfortunately six persons have been confirmed dead while others were being attended to.”
Residents called on the state government to put an end to the perennial auto crashes at the IMSU Junction.
The police spokesperson in the state, Henry Okoye, confirmed that six persons died on the spot while others were being attended to at the FMC in Owerri.
Meanwhile, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma has expressed sadness over the loss of lives in an accident.
The governor directed a response team, including security agencies, that assisted in taking the injured to hospitals and the fatal ones to the mortuary, including the State Commissioner for Health, to follow up and ensure that adequate medical attention is given to those on admission.
The governor, in a statement by the Commissioner for Information, Public Orientation, and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, also directed an investigation into the accident to identify the culprits who should be made to face the law.