The Enugu State Police Command has confirmed that 10 lives were lost in two separate fatal accidents along the Ozalla/Four-Corner Enugu axis of the Enugu-Port-Harcourt Expressway.

The accidents that occurred on Wednesday also left 10 people with various degrees of injuries. They are currently receiving treatment in hospitals.

The command’s spokesman, SP Daniel Ndukwe, confirmed the incident in a statement on Wednesday in Enugu.

Mr Ndukwe described the incidents as unfortunate and consoled with individuals and families who lost their loved ones in the accidents.

He said, “The first incident, a multiple-vehicle crash, happened at about 9:00 a.m. on the expressway.

“A Howo truck, inscribed Visco Investment Global and laden with bags of white cement, was en route to Abuja from Aba, Abia State, when it collided with a Toyota Corolla car while attempting to overtake another truck on the same route.

“A Foton bus and a Daihatsu Hijet mini-bus, both driving one-way, were also caught in the collision.

“Sadly, the truck and the Toyota Corolla car went up in flames, with five occupants of the car burning to death. A passenger in the mini-bus was equally confirmed dead by the attending medical doctor.”

Mr Ndukwe said that similarly, at about 3:00 p.m. on the same road, another fatal crash occurred, involving a Sino truck and a tricycle.

He said the truck, laden with cement and driving one-way from Garriki, Enugu, to Nenwe in Aninri LGA, on the same Enugu inward-bound lane, rammed into the tricycle, leading to the death of its four occupants.

“They were rushed to the hospital but later confirmed dead,” he said.

The spokesman said the state’s commissioner of police, Mamman Giwa, had mourned the tragic loss of lives and commiserated with the families of the deceased.

He stated that the commissioner also directed the State Motor Traffic Department to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accidents.

“These crashes are avoidable as drivers need to exercise utmost care, especially during these Ember Months, when road traffic usually increases and the possibility of accidents increases too,” Mr Ndukwe quoted the commissioner as saying.

(NAN)