19 KILLED IN OWERRI AUTOCRASH

A morbid spectacle played out
yesterday along the ever busy
Owerri-Aba federal highway
as no fewer than 19 persons
lost their lives in a ghastly
road traffic crash.
Vanguard investigations
revealed that that the two
vehicles in the crash, a
commuter bus and a Nissan
Xstra, were moving in
opposite directions.
While the commuter bus,
which loaded in Owerri, was
heading to Aba, it was not
clear where the Nissan
vehicle was coming from or
heading to as at press time.
An eye witness account,
which had it that the crash
occurred at about noon
yesterday, between Umuowa
and Ihitte, Ngor Okpalaeke
local council area of Imo
State.
According to the badly
shaken woman, all the 19
passengers, including the bus
driver and conductor, died on
the spot, but the Nissan
driver survived the crash
The only survivor, a
pregnant woman that had
her two legs chopped off,
was bleeding profusely. Her
fate obviously hung in the
balance. She was in a very
critical situation and I pray
God will see her through the
ordeal, a woman said amidst
sobs.
On what led to the crash,
most of the sympathizers
were of the opinion that the
two vehicles were on top
speed and eventually ran into
each other while trying to
avoid a pothole along the
road.
As at the time Vanguard
visited the scene of the crash,
the remains of the accident
victims had been moved to an
undisclosed morgue by
officers and men of the
Federal Road Safety Corps,
FRSC.