Tragedy struck yesterday at Alaoji, Aba, Abia State, as a container laden truck fell on a bus conveying 18 passengers in the area.
Eyewitnesses said that the bus was negotiating a bad spot at the Alaoji spare parts market , when the container laden truck which got stuck on the bad spot, fell on it.
The eyewitnesses disclosed that about 15 passengers on the 18 seater bus which was on its way to Port Harcourt, were critically injured while one was confirmed dead on the spot.
Sympathizers rescued the injured from the wreckage of the bus.
Some of the critically injured were taken away in an ambulance to the hospital.
It is gathered from the eye witnesses that the incident came barely a few weeks after a similar incident led to the death of 8 persons along the Ugwunagbo council axis of the expressway.
“The driver of the bus loaded with 18 passengers and the container laden truck were negotiating the big pothole opposite the Alaoji spare parts market.
“They were moving side by side negotiating the big pothole when the container on the truck fell on the bus. 15 passengers were critically injured, 2 had no injury while one of them died as he was badly hit by the container.
“This accident that killed the young man and got many people injured was avoidable if only the government did a palliative work by just using stones to fill the potholes.
“Only one lane of the expressway is in use because the other one is no longer passable.
“There are too many containers that leave Onne into Aba daily. The condition of the road is so bad.
“Container trucks are falling on the road daily. Many people have lost their lives and properties due to container accidents caused by bad roads” he stated.
A driver, Cletus Uzondu also lamented that an important road like the Aba-Port Harcourt was yet to be given serious attention by the state government because it has been called a federal road.
He said that customers from Rivers State, especially Port Harcourt and others from Bayelsa must make use of this road.
The federal government started rehabilitation work on the road but they stopped at Osisioma.
The Abia state government who knows the importance of making Aba accessible to customers from Rivers and Bayelsa states should do something about the Ariaria Junction and Flyover Junction portions of this road.
“The road is already a death trap” he concluded.
