Sophia Michaels
Tragedy struck as a container of goods fell on some tricycles and a Sports Utility Vehicle at the Waterside area of Ogbo Hill in Aba, Abia State on Tuesday morning.
An unidentified passenger inside a Keke NAPEP was confirmed dead while a crowd of sympathizers battled to extricate a trapped couple in the SUV, from under the heavy container.
The cause of the morning accident was not immediately ascertained but some residents and transporters alleged that the trailer was descending the Waterside bridge on speed when the accident happened.
A bus driver, Magnus Ozor, said the truck driver lost control of his vehicle as he tried to manoeuvre the busy road, making the heavy container land on unfortunate road users.
Ozor, who described the scene as horrifying, said some passengers managed to jump out unhurt while some others were not lucky as they were trapped under the container.
He added that the accident happened about two years after a similar occurrence took place in the same area of Enyimba city, noting that long vehicles were some time ago banned from plying the Ogbo Hill road the day by the previous administration.
Meanwhile, some residents of Ogbo Hill who applied bare hands in trying to push up the fallen container, said they resorted to manual action to save the lives of those trapped under the rubble, as there was no immediate arrival of concerned agencies.
