From GEORGE ONYEJIUWA, OWERRI
Tragedy struck early evening of Friday on Owerri- Orlu road, Imo State, as about 20 people including, two kids and a pregnant woman were burnt to death when the bus conveying them to Orlu town crashed into a diesel tanker near the Njaba Bridge between Umuaka/ Okwudor.
Vincent Durugbo, who witnessed the tragic incident told Saturday Sun, that the accident occurred when the driver of the commuter bus who was on top speed from Owerri end of the road crashed into the tanker, which had tumbled after the driver lost control of the vehicle near the Njaba bridge.
The impact of the crash ignited the fire that engulfed both the tanker and the bus with the passengers still trapped in the bus.
“The driver of the bus who was coming from Owerri is to be blamed because he was reckless, as he should have seen that the tanker, which was coming from the opposite direction had tumbled after the driver had obviously lost control of the vehicle, but because the bus driver was on high speed he could not control the bus and crashed into the fallen tanker. I think that ignited the fire, because the diesel it was carrying was already spilling out”.
Durugbo said that most sympathizers at the scene of the accident could not go close to the raging fire to rescue trapped passengers, and they were all burnt to death including two kids and a pregnant woman”.
However, when contacted, the state Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Kayode Aremu, said that his officers were on the scene, but said that he could not actually give the number of persons who died in the crash.