19 killed in auto crash in Calabar

Nineteen people including the drivers of a bus and truck were among those killed in an auto crash along the devastated Calabar – Uyo highway on Wednesday evening when an Onistsha bound bus collided    with two trucks.

The accident, an eye-witness, Mr. Peace Monday told Source  occurred when   a Cross Link bus carrying 18 passengers from Calabar   to Onitsha,  in Anambra State  was  hit by two trucks  at the Obot Isong  bridge in Odukpani Local Government Area, close to  the Calabar River.

According to him, the bus was descending the slope leading to the bridge when a truck which had apparently failed brake swept it from its lane to the lane of oncoming vehicles and was hit by a truck coming from the Akwa- Ibom State end of the road.     "The truck was descending the slope on very high speed. May be, its brakes had failed   as it attempted to over take the bus from the right side but ended up sweeping the  bus towards  the  other lane and a low board truck was coming on top speed and it hit the bus head on"

The impact of the hit tore the bus apart killing  everybody  except one lucky passenger who sustained severe   injuries.

The truck that swept the bus to the other lane also   tore through the railings on the bridge and plunged  into the valley   with its tires facing the sky. "The driver and the conductor were removed   from under the truck   dead but two other conductors   who sat   behind the truck on the chippings sustained serious injuries because they were flung very far from the truck to the bush". Peace narrated.

Narrating further, Peace said, those who came out alive   were the driver of the   low board trailer which ran over the bus and the two conductors who sat atop the rock chipping of  the upturned truck who were flung into the bush   and one   passenger in the bus   ."The Federal Road Safety Commission men from Akwa Ibom came to remove the corpses, while the man who survived was taken back to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, UCTH, for medical attention.

When the scene of the accident was visited  on Thursday morning, personal effects including bags, shoes, clothes and consumables like biscuits , cocacola,   laca cera bottles were liltered around the scene of the incident.

In a telephone interview, Federal Road Safety Commission Commander for the Cross River State Command confirmed the accident, stressing that officers from Akwa Ibom State carried out the operation that removed the dead and wounded victims.