VEECUBED community: 19 killed in Owerri autocrash

A morbid spectacle played out yesterday along the ever busy Owerri-Aba federal highway as no fewer than 19 persons lost their lives in a ghastly road traffic crash.

Vanguard investigations revealed that that the two vehicles in the crash, a commuter bus and a Nissan Xstra, were moving in opposite directions.

While the commuter bus, which loaded in Owerri, was heading to Aba, it was not clear where the Nissan vehicle was coming from or heading to as at press time.

An eye witness account, which had it that the crash occurred at about noon yesterday, between Umuowa and Ihitte, Ngor Okpalaeke local council area of Imo State.

According to the badly shaken woman, all the 19 passengers, including the bus driver and conductor, died on the spot, but the Nissan driver survived the crash

“The only survivor, a pregnant woman that had her two legs chopped off, was bleeding profusely. Her fate obviously hung in the balance. She was in a very critical situation and I pray God will see her through the ordeal”, a woman said amidst sobs.

On what led to the crash, most of the sympathizers were of the opinion that the two vehicles were on top speed and eventually ran into each other while trying to avoid a pothole along the road.

As at the time Vanguard visited the scene of the crash, the remains of the accident victims had been moved to an undisclosed morgue by officers and men of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC.