A fatal road crash, which occurred on Monday afternoon by Udu Bridge, Warri, Delta State has claimed six people with several others injured.
The accident happened when a Julius Berger truck, which driver is believed to have lost control, rammed into a stationary trailer carrying electric poles.
The faulty trailer was under repairs by a mechanic who was under it when the crash took place.
Some eyewitnesses said the truck had break failure, which made the drive to lose control in his attempt to avoid hitting a commercial tricycle (Keke in local parlance).
One of the eyewitnesses said, “In the process, the truck rammed into the broken-down articulated vehicle (trailer). The impact was so severe that the trailer fell, killed the mechanic, crushed the other moving tricycles with passengers.
Emergency rescuers found it difficult to access the scene due to the gridlock but six dead bodies were recovered from the wreck while the exact number of deaths has not been officially confirmed as of press time.
The accident caused a heavy traffic and left many motorists stranded. Students, workers and traders heading to Warri and the nearby areas abandoned their vehicles and continued on foot.
However, security and safety personnel, including the divisional police officers from Ovwian/Aladja and Enerhen, as well as personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) were deployed to oversee the situation.
“It was terrifying. The sound was like an explosion. Before we knew it, people were screaming and running,” the eyewitness said.
The chairman of Udu local government area, Olorogun Vincent Oyibode, left his office to lead rescue efforts.
His intervention helped speed up the removal of the damaged truck and trailer, though the road remained closed for hours as the clean-up continued.
He expressed deep sorrow over the accident and extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims.
