Two children, three others die in Abia road accident

Five passengers, including two male children, have been confirmed dead in a road accident in Abia State, Nigeria’s South-east.

The incident occurred at about 1:45 p.m. on Sunday near a junction along the Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway in the Isialangwa South Council Area of Abia State.

The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Abia State, Ngozi Ezeoma, announced this on Monday, according to a statement by the state’s FRSC spokesperson, Miracle Enyioko.

Mrs Ezeoma said the accident occurred when a Toyota Sienna en route to Enugu State rammed into a stationary Mack Truck with no number plate.

There was speculation that the driver of the Sienna lost control of the vehicle after falling asleep, hitting the truck before crashing into a nearby bush.

But the sector commander, in the statement, did not specifically confirm the speculation.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the cause of the crash was fatigue,” she said.

Mrs Ezeoma said 11 persons were involved in the accident, including six male adults, two female adults and three male children.

“As at the time of the crash, four persons – two male adults and two male children – died on the spot, while three persons were injured,” she said, adding that the Sienna driver survived the crash.

She said upon receipt of information about the accident, a rescue team from Abia FRSC Unit Command arrived at the scene.

“The injured victims were taken to Ronald Hospital, Umuikaa and the dead were deposited at the Mighty Moon Mortuary, close to Umuikaa Junction,” she stated.

The sector commander said during a follow-up operation on Monday morning, FRSC officials confirmed that one other male adult later died while in the hospital.

She said the development brought the total number of deceased victims to five – three male adults and two male children.

Mrs Ezeoma said two other injured persons – one male and one female – were currently receiving treatment at a hospital.

“Three adults and one child survived the crash without injuries, and the only surviving child has been handed over to Umuikaa Police Station,” she said.