Federal Road Safety Corps has on Thursday confirmed the death of 21 people, including school children, in an auto crash at Mgbowo in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State.
It happened at the Nkwo junction of the road at about 4:30pm on Wednesday, when the children were returning home from school.
Ogbonnaya Kalu, FRSC sector commander in Enugu state, confirmed the accident and the number of deaths in an interview with NAN.
Kalu said the FRSC unit in Awgu had been to the scene of the accident and hospitals where the victims were receiving medical attention.
According to him, the fully-loaded school bus had 64 occupants, which included 61 students/pupils, two teachers and the driver.
He stated;
The low-bed trailer, which eyewitnesses alleged suffered a brake failure, rammed into the school bus first and into a welder’s shop, where the welder and his apprentice were working.
The commander said blaming the incident on speeding beyond the limit and dangerous driving.
Kalu said;
21 persons have been confirmed dead and more than 50 persons were in the school bus.
Also of note is that not all the deaths were school children. Those working on the roadside were part of the casualties.
From available information, the accident was caused by dangerous driving.
It was gathered that the tragic incident occurred when a Lowbed truck belonging to a construction firm working at Oji-River – Awgu Federal Road lost control and rammed into a school bus conveying over 60 pupils of the Presentation Nursery and Primary School, Awgu owned by the Catholic Diocese of Awgu home.
See some graphic photos of the incident below(
