Abia State Police Command has confirmed the death of three persons in the road accident that occurred near Lekwesi Umuchieze in Umueneochi local government area of the state late Wednesday.
The Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Maureen Chilaka, disclosed this in a statement made available to LEADERSHIP in Umuahia on Thursday.
Chilaka said the number contradicts a viral news report that put the death toll in the accident that involved an articulated truck and an 18-seater bus at 10.
The statement said the injured persons had been taken to Christ the King Hospital at Ngodo Isiochi, highlighting that the identity of one of the victims still remained unknown.
The statement, which noted that bodies of the victims had been deposited at a mortuary, added that normalcy had been restored at the scene.
The police spokesperson further explained that the accident occurred at about 7:45pm when the driver lost control of the truck while descending a slope and struck two military barricades.
The statement added that the truck collided with the stationary bus when it eventually got to the third barricade which is a police checkpoint.
