At least, 15 persons, mostly students were on Tuesday feared dead, following an auto accident that occurred along Amassoma Road, near the Bayelsa State-owned Niger Delta University (NDU).
This is as a family of five also died in Yenagoa, the state capital, as a result of generator fume.
The vehicles, two Toyota buses with Registration numbers Rivers KNM141XA and Rivers XB269KPR had a head-on collision while moving on a high speed about 8.20 pm.
According to eye witness account, Mr. Enaikonzigha Fungbe, a 100 level part time student of Niger Delta University, his vehicle was directly behind one of the buses that was going to the university when the accident occurred.
Fungbe said a pregnant woman was rescued from the accident unhurt, just as he stated that about five persons, including a young lady who sat in front, died instantly while others were taken to nearby hospitals.
He said the two vehicles were speeding, attributing the cause of the accident to recklessness on the part of the drivers as one of the vehicles had no head light which made it difficult for the other bus to notice it on time.
“I was directly behind the bus that was going down to the school when I noticed the heavy speed the bus was moving on. I told our driver to slow down. Within seconds, we saw a trailer that was moving with a snail speed coming towards the vehicle. The other bus was overtaking the trailer before he noticed the other bus which had no head lights. This resulted to the head-on collision”.
Another eye witness, a lady who said she passed the spot about 30 minutes after the accident, blamed it on the bad road that has so many sharp bends and pot holes.
She said that the state government should help the students with a bus to convey them to school, especially it is always by night that they leave the school after lectures.
Some of the casualties and injured passengers were said to have been taken to Gloryland Hospital, Yenagoa.
However, the Public Relations Officer to the Niger Delta University, Mr. Joe Alaqua, when contacted, said no life was lost in the accident.
Similarly, a family of five lost their lives to poisonous smoke from a generator which was left on while the occupants slept at their newly packed in apartment at Goodnews Street, Azikoro Village, Yenagoa.
The late housewife, Mrs. Chinyere Celestine and her four children, including her four-year-old twins, were killed by the generator fume, while her househelp and her second son were said to be responding to treatment at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa.
The entire Bayelsa State has been on power outage for the past two weeks, making generator the only means of generating power for residents.
