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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Disasters & Emergencies

Three die in Anambra road crash

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Three people died and four were injured when a commercial truck crashed and caught fire in Anambra State.
  • The truck's driver lost control due to apparent mechanical failure while descending a hill, leading to the crash near St. Jude Catholic Church.
  • Eyewitnesses and FRSC officials confirmed the casualties, with the FRSC arriving at the scene within 10 minutes of the distress call.

A tragic road accident in Anambra State claimed three lives and left four others injured when a commercial truck somersaulted and burst into flames. The incident occurred Friday morning near St. Jude Catholic Church in Adazi-Ani, along the Nnobi–Agulu–Awka Road.

The driver of the vehicle was descending the road when the vehicle failed brakes and he lost control, thereby plunging into the barricade, killing some people instantly and injuring others.

— EyewitnessDescribing the moments leading up to the truck crash.

Eyewitnesses reported that the victims, all male, were en route to their workplaces. The driver of the truck, identified as a Mercedes-Benz 608 model, reportedly lost control while descending the hilly road. The vehicle crashed into a roadside barricade before overturning, trapping some occupants inside as it became engulfed in fire. The accident happened around 10 a.m.

The vehicle engulfed in flames while the victims were still trapped. Some of the community members and passersby did a first emergency response in evacuating the trapped victims before the arrival of transport officials at the scene.

— EyewitnessDetailing the immediate aftermath of the crash and the community's response.

Community members and passersby initiated a first response, evacuating trapped victims before official rescue teams arrived. The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) confirmed the death toll at three. According to the FRSC Anambra State Command's Sector Public Education Officer, Margaret Onabe, preliminary investigations suggest the truck suffered mechanical failure. This led to the driver losing control and the subsequent crash and fire.

The crash involved a Mercedes-Benz 608 commercial truck with registration number XB270NNL. Preliminary investigation revealed that the vehicle suffered a mechanical failure while in motion, caught fire, and the driver subsequently lost control.

— Margaret OnabeFRSC official confirming the vehicle details and preliminary cause of the crash.

FRSC rescue personnel received the distress call at 10:35 a.m. and reached the scene by 10:45 a.m., demonstrating a rapid response time. The FRSC statement detailed that a total of seven male occupants were involved in the crash. The narrowness of the road and the lack of separate lanes for ascending and descending traffic were cited by eyewitnesses as contributing factors to frequent accidents in the area.

A total of seven male occupants were involved in the crash. Three persons lost their lives, while four others sustained serious injuries.

— Margaret OnabeFRSC official stating the final casualty figures from the accident.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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