Three dead, five injured as truck crashes into bus in Abia

Three persons have been confirmed dead in a road accident in Abia State, south-east Nigeria.

The accident occurred Thursday morning along the Port Harcourt-Enugu Expressway, near Umuchieze in Umunneochi Local Government Area of the state.

The incident, involving a truck and a bus, happened at a police checkpoint in the area.

Witnesses told PREMIUM TIMES that two persons died on the spot while one other person died hours later at Christ the King Hospital in Ngodo Isuochi, where he was rushed to.

Apart from the three deceased victims, five others, who sustained injuries were being treated at a hospital, Paul Kalu, one of the witnesses said.

The police spokesperson in Abia State, Maureen Chinaka, confirmed the development in a statement on Thursday.

How it happened

Ms Chinaka, an assistant superintendent of police, said the incident happened when the driver of the truck lost control of the vehicle while descending a slope in the area.

The police spokesperson said the driver, Amaechi Nwankwo, consequently destroyed two military barricades which he wanted to use to stop the speeding vehicle.

“The driver eventually got to the third (barricade) which was the police checkpoint at that location but collided with a stationary bus, resulting in the death of two passengers, and injuring five others,” she said.

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Ms Chinaka also confirmed that one other victim was later confirmed dead by doctors in the hospital.

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She said the driver of the vehicle had been arrested.

“The accident scene has been visited, corpses deposited at the mortuary, admitted patients have been treated and discharged.

“Normalcy has been restored to the area, but monitoring efforts continue as the investigation is ongoing,” she stated.