A woman and her child died instantly, while several others sustained injuries, after a trailer lost control and crashed into a commercial bus at the Ulasi River Bridge, Okija Junction, in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The incident happened late Thursday when the trailer, reportedly experiencing brake failure, slammed into a Toyota Hiace bus on the bridge, resulting in multiple casualties.
According to eyewitness accounts, the bus, which was heading from Upper Iweka to Owerri, had been stopped by suspected revenue collectors when the trailer, approaching at high speed, failed to stop and rammed into it.
Footage shared online showed the bus badly damaged, with bystanders and pedestrians trying to rescue victims, while lifeless bodies and unconscious passengers lay on the road.
One witness, Ibeabuchi Edeoga, said the collision killed the woman and her child instantly, adding that other victims, most of them unconscious, were taken to a nearby hospital, where some later died.
Another eyewitness, Uchenna Odinaka, said the crash could have been worse if the bridge’s railings had not stopped the trailer from going further and hitting more vehicles. He confirmed that the trailer driver and his assistant were rescued alive.
“It happened during rush hour. The bridge barrier prevented a bigger tragedy. Two people died instantly, and many others were rushed to the hospital before security personnel arrived,” Odinaka recounted.
The spokesperson for the Federal Road Safety Corps in Anambra State, Margaret Onabe, confirmed the incident on Friday, noting that investigations were ongoing and the exact number of casualties had yet to be confirmed.
