The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed that four members of staff of Akwa Ibom Newspaper Corporation died in a motor accident along Uyo-Oron Road on Wednesday.
The Sector Commander of FRSC, Mr Sunday Oghenekaro, made the disclosure in Uyo on Thursday.
Oghenekaro said the accident, which occurred on Wednesday evening, was a lone accident and involved a Hiace vehicle with registration number O2E/183AK along Uyo – Oron Road near Ekpene Ukim in Uruan Local Government Area.
He attributed the accident to overloading and speeding, stressing that the 14 seater bus was conveying 22 persons.
“Twenty-two persons were involved in the lone accident, six male adults, 14 female adults and two female children. One male adult and three female adults lost their lives in the accident.
“This shows that the vehicle was overloaded and on speed, possibly the driver lost control which the vehicle somersaulted several times killing four persons on the spot while 18 persons sustained several degrees of injuries,” Oghenekaro said.
He explained that 18 injured persons were rescued by Governor Udom Emmanuel motorcade, coming from Ibom International Airport when the accident occurred.
According to him, the injured are receiving treatment at Ituk Mbang General Hospital and critical ones have been sent to Ibom Specialist Hospital in Uyo.
The victims were returning from the traditional marriage of a colleague’s daughter when the incident occurred.
The sector commander urged motorists to pay attention to their lives, considering that life was irreplaceable.
He said “a 14 seater bus conveying 22 persons showed that the vehicle was overloaded which we preach against.”
The commander appealed to drivers to plan their journeys and begin on time to avoid rushing and accidents.
Meanwhile, four people died while 26 were injured in a road accident involving two buses on the Lagos-Ore-Benin highway in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Mr Olusegun Ogungbemide, Head of Operation and Deputy Sector Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC),Ondo Command, confirmed the incident on Thursday in Akure.
Ogungbemide, who explained that the accident occurred on Wednesday, said it involved a Toyota Hiace Bus belonging to GUO Transport marked ACA 606 XT and a bus belonging to Peace Mass Transit marked AKL 846 YY.
“There was an accident on Wednesday between 14:32hrs and 14:56hrs in which 30 people were involved.
” They included 12 male adults, 16 female adults and two female children.
“Four people died instantly, 26 were injured including 10 male adults, 14 female adults and two female children,” he said.
According to him, the injured had been taken to Ore General Hospital while the corpses had been deposited at Opeyemi Hospital in Ore.
Ogungbemide, who said that the two vehicles had been towed away by the police, admonished all motorists to shun over speeding, especially during the Yuletide.
