Seven persons who were returning from a wedding have died in an auto crash on the Aba-Ikot Ekpene Expressway.
According to The Nation, a woman wearing an apron of a popular pentecostal church, said to be going for a vigil, was also knocked down by a commercial bus driver on the Aba-Ezumini Road.
It was gathered that five other passengers who sustained injuries in the same Sienna (Sport Utility Vehicle) are battling for survival in a private hospital.
The accident, which happened at the Ukpakiri, Obingwa axis of the expressway, was between the Sienna and 911 truck carrying sand.
Some residents blamed the driver for over speeding.
The bodies of the deceased, which included children, teenagers and adults, have been deposited at an undisclosed morgue.
This is the second time in a fortnight that a fatal accident happened on the same route.
The expressway, whose reconstruction was awarded by the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPLC), serves as a major entrance and exit route from Abia State.
The road was approved for dualisation in October 2021, as part of the Federal Government’s road Infrastructure and Refreshment Tax Credit Scheme, funded by the NNPC.
However, contractors have only completed a portion of the project, leaving a significant stretch from Ohanze to Opobo junction as a single lane.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Maureen Chinaka, confirmed the accident.