Five persons were confirmed dead while others were fatally wounded late Thursday in a lone crash involving a Sienna bus at the Nkana Obio, Ikono LGA portion of the Ikot Ekpene-Uyo Road, LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered yesterday.
The state’s sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr Mathew Olonisaye, confirmed this explaining that the vehicle was conveying 10 passengers (eight males and two females) from Lagos to Uyo, but unfortunately got involved in the crash, after one of the “worn-out tyres burst at about 6:15pm.”
He listed the casualty figures to include four males and one female, who were confirmed dead, while other four males and one female sustained varying degrees of injury.
Blaming over-speeding and drunk-driving for the crash with such devastating impact, Olonisaye, described the incident as unfortunate and warned drivers, especially during this yuletide season to adhere strictly to road safety measures.
He implored passengers to always caution reckless drivers on the wheels or report them to the nearest security agent(s) or FRSC officials on the road.
“What we also discovered is that the vehicle’s rear tyres were worn-out, and are advising vehicle owners that it’s not by force that you put vehicles on the road if they are not roadworthy or in good condition so as not to put the lives of passengers in danger.
“It’s quite sad that we lost these ones that we can’t see again, but it’s pertinent that drivers should be vigilant and consider the lives of the people they carry because this unfortunate incident could have been avoided if necessary precautions had been taken,” he stated.
