The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Abia Sector Command, has confirmed the deaths of two persons, while 10 others were injured in a road traffic crash on the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway.
The Sector Commander, Mrs Ngozi Ezeoma, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia on Monday that the crash occurred at the Ntigha junction axis of the expressway on Sunday at 5:02 p.m.
Ezeoma said that the command was informed of the crash at approximately 5:07 p.m. while the response team arrived at the scene within five minutes.
She said that preliminary investigation suggested that the accident might have occurred due to a burst tyre.
Ezeoma said that FRSC Crash Investigation experts would further analyse the crash to identify likely contributory factors.
She said that the accident was a lone crash involving a green-coloured Toyota Hiace bus conveying 16 passengers, consisting of 15 male adults and one female adult from Enugu.
Ezeoma said that the bus belonged to the Church of Christ, quoting one of the injured victims as saying that they were coming from a crusade in Enugu.
She said that of the 16 occupants of the bus, 10 were injured (one female adult and nine male adults).
”One of the accident victims died on the spot, while the other person was rushed to Central Medical Centre, Mbawsi, by FRSC officials, where he later passed away.
“This made the death toll to be two male adults, while the other accident victims were taken to FMC,” she said.
The sector commander urged drivers to regularly check their tyres to ensure they were neither expired, worn-out, overinflated, nor underinflated.
She sympathised with the injured victims and commiserated with the families of the deceased.
Ezeoma restated the command’s determination to ensure safety on the roads and continually sensitise road users on the need to comply with road safety rules and regulations.