The truck on fire with its contents spill on the bridge
By Sunny A. David
An articulated vehicle has gutted fire on the River Niger bridge in Onitsha, Anambra State.
The incident which occurred early Friday raised anxiety among residents of the area.
The Sector Public Education Officer, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Mr. Pascal Anigbo said: “At about 8am today, Friday 5 June, 2020 a Mercedes Benz truck went up in flames on the River Niger Bridge, after developing some mechanical/electrical faults.
“The fire service were contacted immediately and an FRSC heavy duty tow truck was brought in to tow the vehicle off the bridge after the fire was successfully extinguished by Julius Berger Construction Company, before the arrival of the Fire Service. Two male adults were involved, no injury and no death recorded.
However, he said a fatal road crash was later recorded at Upper-Iweka. The crash which occurred at about 8.45am after the brakes of a Prado Jeep with registration number UWN277PE, failed and rammed into three shuttle buses; Suzuki shuttle bus with registration number AWK279XJ, Suzuki shuttle bus with registration number ATN57XB and Hijet shuttle with registration number HAL420ZX.
“A total of four male adults were involved in the crash. Two sustained some degree of injuries while one of the shuttle bus drivers was confirmed dead by doctors at St. John Hospital and Maternity, where the victims were rushed to by FRSC rescue team from Onitsha Unit Command,” he stated.
Mr. Anigbo also said that the Sector Commander Federal Road Safety Corps Anambra State, Andrew A. Kumapayi admonishes vehicle owners and drivers to always ensure that they check and service their vehicles regularly, paying particular attention to the brakes and electrical systems in addition to other units.
He condole with the family of the dead and wishes the injured victims quick recovery.
Our correspondent learnt that there had been some agitation in some quarters over the barricade of a section of the bridge by the Anambra State Government as a measure to check influx of passengers into the state as a result of the lockdown occassioned by coronavirus pandemic.
