Tragedy in Bayelsa: 20 feared killed in auto crash

NO fewer than 20 persons were reported dead in a motor accident in Amassoma, Yenagoa, on Wednesday.


Nigerian Tribune gathered that the 20 persons were mostly part-time students of the state-owned Niger Delta University, Amassoma who were returning from lectures in a 13-seater bus that collided with another that was returning to Amassoma from Yenagoa.

Confirming the incident, an eyewitness, Mr Inaikozia Fumgbe who is a 100-level Sociology student of NDU and whose vehicle was behind the bus, said the 13-seater bus with registration number RIVERS KNM 1415A clashed with another thirteen seater bus with registration number RIVERS SP 269 KPR from Yenagoa. It was without its headlight and was on high speed.

He said the accident occurred at about 8 pm on Tuesday night on the Amossoma-Ekpetiama road. He added that one pregnant woman was crushed while others with serious injuries and those that died on the spot were taken to nearby clinics and hospitals in Yenagoa.

He attributed the cause of the accident to over-speeding, When our correspondent visited the scene of the accident the mangled buses which belong to the Bayelsa State Transport Company were littered with blood stains and handouts of students and foodstuffs.

However, when contacted, the Public Relations Officer of Niger Delta University, Mr Joe Alagoa, who confirmed the accident, said nobody died in the mishap.

In a related development a middle aged woman, Mrs Chinyere Celestine and four of her children suffocated to death from carbon-monoxide that emanated from a power generator that they left on while they went to bed in an enclosed apartment, on Wednesday at their residence in Azikoro suburb in Yenagoa.

Sympathisers attributed the incident to the persisting power outage that has thrown the state into darkness over three weeks. Eyewitnesses told Nigerian Tribune that seven persons were affected by the incident but two persons at the time of filing the reports were receiving treatment while the dead bodies have been deposited at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa.

Friday 31 May 2013

http://tribune.com.ng/news2013/en/news/item/13174-tragedy-in-bayelsa-20-feared-killed-in-auto-crash.html