Pregnant Woman, Seven Others Die In Onitsha Car Crash

                             No fewer than seven persons, including a pregnant woman, yesterday in Onitsha, Anambra State, lost their lives, while about 15 others sustained various degrees of injuries in an accident involving a tanker and other vehicles.

The accident, according to an eyewitness, occurred when a 40-foot fuel-laden tanker, descending the Awka Road, had a brake failure and rammed into vehicles at Anambra Broadcasting Service, ABS/Awka Road traffic light junction.

According to reports, the driver, in a bid to avoid more destruction, tried to control the tanker but to no avail. It first hit a blue Mitsubishi bus fully loaded with passengers before it hit four tricycles at a stretch resulting in the casualties.

According to an eyewitness, “the pregnant woman was standing at the bus-stop waiting for a commuter bus when she was crushed by the tanker.”

“Others were mostly passengers in the four tricycles that were hit in the multiple accident,” he stated.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), in charge of Okpoko Police Division, Mr. Emeka Ugwu, sent police officers to the scene of the incident on getting a distress call.

Officials of Fire Service rushed to the scene of the crash to prevent the petrol tanker from exploding.

The Onitsha Police Area Commander, Mr. Philip Ezekiel, the Inland Town Divisional Police Officer, Mr. Cosmas Eze and the Onitsha Central Divisional Police Officer, Mr. Isa Abubakar, all battled to save lives.