The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed seven persons dead and 29 injured in an incident that occurred during the annual Calabar Bikers Carnival on Tuesday.
The Sector Commander of the Corps, Maikano Hassan, confirmed the number of casualty.
He said that the incident occurred in front of the Jumat Mosque in Bogobiri in the capital city of Cross River during the Bikers Carnival activity of the carnival.
Hassan listed the number of injured to include 21 male adults, three women, two male children and three female children.
He said that the injured were rushed to Naval hospital and the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) for medical attention.
He said that the remains of the dead had been deposited in the two hospitals in Calabar.
According to him, the incident occurred when a Toyota Camry car lost control and rammed into crowd of onlookers during the carnival.
The incident abruptly brought the Day Five activity to an end, where Governor Ben Ayade was already seated with other dignitaries.
The annual carnival, which started during the administration of Donald Duke, has not held for the past two years.
The carnival was suspended in 2020 due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic while no reason was given for the carnival not holding in 2021.
Meanwhile, Ayade has expressed sadness over the incident.
The governor made this known in a statement through his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Christian Ita.
The statement said that Ayade was devasted by the incident and directed security agencies to apprehend the driver who was on the run.
While sympathising with victims of the accident and their families, the governor, ordered immediate investigation to unravel how the motorist beat security barricades to have access to the routes which were closed to the public.
Ita said the governor also directed the immediate discontinuation of the Bikers parade in honour of the victims of the accident.
While promising to ensure the culprit is arrested and brought to book, Ayade however, sued for calm.
