No fewer than seven persons, including a 32-year-old pregnant woman and her only daughter of about one year old, lost their lives in a ghastly road accident along the Owerri/Onitsha Road, precisely at the Orogwe Market junction, on Wednesday.
Eyewitnesses said the victims were among pedestrians waiting to cross the busy highway when a commuter bus conveying fruits at high speed veered off course and rammed into them at a culvert, killing most of them instantly.
The tragic incident occurred on Wednesday at the Orogwe Market junction along the Owerri/Onitsha Road, when the bus reportedly attempted to dodge other commercial buses that had stopped along the road to load passengers, leading to the fatal crash that claimed seven lives.
An eyewitness who spoke to our correspondent described the scene as horrifying, saying the bus lost control while trying to avoid the buses loading passengers at the market junction before crashing into the unsuspecting victims who were standing beside the culvert.
“It was a very sad day, I watched with my own very eyes how the woman carrying her daughter was crushed at the culvert by the bus. The bus was avoiding the buses loading passengers at the market junction and rammed into the victims.
Six persons standing beside the culvert including the woman’s baby she was carrying died on the spot while the woman died at a nearby hospital she was rushed to, the witness narrated.
“They were eight of them standing to cross the road at the culvert, the woman’s husband had already crossed with their load and attempted to return to cross his wife and children before the incident occurred. The witness said.
According to eyewitness accounts, the pregnant woman was critically injured in the crash and was rushed to a nearby hospital for urgent medical attention, but she later succumbed to her injuries, bringing the death toll to seven.
The deceased were said to include pedestrians who had gathered at the culvert while waiting for a safe opportunity to cross the ever-busy highway, a common challenge for residents and traders around the Orogwe Market axis.
Further accounts revealed that the family involved in the tragedy had reportedly been returning home after travelling to their village for the yuletide celebrations, a journey that ended in devastating loss.
Residents and passersby were said to have been thrown into panic and mourning as the incident unfolded, with many lamenting the persistent danger posed by speeding vehicles and indiscriminate loading of passengers along major highways.
The accident once again raises concerns about road safety, reckless driving, and the lack of proper pedestrian crossings along the Owerri/Onitsha Road, particularly around busy market junctions such as Orogwe, where human and vehicular traffic converge daily.
As of the time of filing this report, the remains of the victims had been evacuated from the scene, while the incident left many traders and commuters in shock, calling for urgent measures to prevent a recurrence of such tragic loss of lives.
