By Izunna Okafor, Awka
Information reaching our report desk has it that a tragedy occurred along the Ogbunike axis of the Onitsha–Awka Expressway on Thursday, following a road traffic crash that reportedly claimed some lives and left several others critically injured.
The fatal crash reportedly occurred at the Ogbunike Toll Gate area, directly opposite the A.A. Rano Filling Station, a location described by eyewitnesses as a notorious accident-prone spot, especially during peak festive traffic.
According to different accounts shared on social media by eyewitnesses, the accident involved a family reportedly travelling together from Lagos to Awkuzu in their brand new vehicle for the Christmas celebration. The occupants were said to include a man, his wife, their children and an elderly woman believed to be a relative.
One of the eyewitness recounted seeing at least two lifeless bodies lying on the road shortly after the crash, while other victims were rushed to nearby hospitals in critical condition. Another account alleged that the mother of the family died instantly at the scene, while the remaining occupants were still struggling for survival.
These were corroborated by videos from the scene currently trending online, which further capture the aftermath of the crash, showing a badly damaged vehicle that partly crashed into deep gutter.
While the details of the crash and the vehicles involved are still sketchy, efforts by this reporter, Izunna Okafor, to get official confirmation and further details about the incident, proved abortive, as calls placed to the Anambra State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), CC Bridget Asekhauno, and the Sector Public Education Officer, RC Margaret Onobe, were neither answered nor returned as at the time of filing this report.
Watch the video below:
