The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed that five people died in a road accident in Anambra State, Nigeria’s South-east.
The spokesperson of the FRSC in Anambra State, Margaret Onabe, confirmed this in a statement on Saturday night.
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The accident
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that several people were killed on Friday night when a speeding truck rammed into them.
The incident happened at about 9:33 p.m. along the Chisco Park Junction in Amichi, Nnewi South Local Government Area of the state.
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A CCTV footage of the incident showed that some of the victims were engaging in night businesses while others were waiting to board a vehicle when the truck crashed into them.
The footage showed some of the victims lying lifeless and in a pool of their blood after the accident.
‘Five killed, five injured’
In the Saturday night statement, Ms Onabe, a route commander, said a total of five people were killed while five others were injured in the accident.
She said the deceased victims were two adult males, a male child, and two female children.
The FRSC spokesperson said the injured victims were two adult males, one adult female, and two male children.
“Preliminary investigations suggest that the crash was caused by brake failure. The truck, travelling at high speed, failed to brake and collided with other vehicles and pedestrians,” she said.
She added that the vehicles involved in the crash included a Mercedes-Benz truck, a Honda motorcycle and a Qlink motorcycle.
Visit to hospitals
After receiving information about the crash, Ms Onabe said the FRSC team got to the scene immediately, managed traffic control and searched hospitals where the victims were taken.
She said authorities of the Anglican Diocesan Hospital in Amechi reported that three of the six people brought to the facility were confirmed dead on arrival, while the fourth died later.
“The remaining two victims are currently responding to treatment,” she stated.
The FRSC spokesperson said another hospital, Pat Angelina Hospital in Amechi, reported that only one male adult died at the facility out of four victims admitted with bruises and bone injuries.
Sector Commander’s visit
Ms Onabe said the Sector Commander of the FRSC in Anambra State, Joyce N. Alexander, flew in from Abuja to visit the scene and injured victims.
“There (at the crash scene), she met with the FRSC towing team, which was working to remove the vehicles involved in the incident,” she said.
She said the Chairperson of Nnewi South Local Government Area, George Ezeogidi, received the sector commander during the visit.
READ ALSO: Many killed as speeding truck rams into residents in Anambra
The FRSC spokesperson said the Sector Commander also met a member of the House of Representatives in Nnewi South Constituency, Nomso Atuchukwu and the Vice President of the Amichi Community, Emmanuel Nzubechukwu, alongside other community leaders.
“After supervising the towing operation, she visited several hospitals in the company of the president-general, to meet with the victims of the crash and check on their recovery progress,” she said.
Ms Onabe said the sector Commander discussed future collaborations with Mr Ezeogidi during which she advised the chairperson and the community leaders to work with the FRSC to organise a town hall meeting to educate the motoring public in their jurisdiction.
Ms Alexander, according to the statement, expressed her condolences to the victims’ families and emphasised the importance of road safety.
“This tragic incident serves as a reminder of the necessity to obey traffic rules and regulations.
“Vehicles should be well-maintained to prevent malfunctioning that invariably leads to crashes,” she said.
“We urge all road users to exercise caution and patience while driving to prevent such incidents in the future.”
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