A trailer hauling a container of goods crashed on some tricycles and a Sport Utility Vehicle on Tuesday morning, causing distress in the Waterside area of Ogbo Hill in Aba, Abia State.
A Keke NAPEP passenger was declared deceased while onlookers struggled to free a trapped couple from under the container that had fallen on top of them.
It took some time to determine what caused the early disaster, although numerous locals and drivers claimed the trailer was speeding down the Waterside bridge.
Magnus Ozor, the bus driver, said the trucker lost control of his vehicle while navigating the congested street, causing the huge container to fall on unsuspecting motorists.
According to Ozor, the scene was “horrifying,” and while some people escaped unharmed by jumping out of the container, others were not so fortunate and were crushed under it.
Two years after a similar disaster in the same part of Enyimba city, he noted that the previous administration had forbidden long trucks from using the Ogbo Hill route during daylight hours.
Meanwhile, some inhabitants of Ogbo Hill who utilized bare hands in trying to lift up the fallen container, stated they resorted to manual effort to save the lives of people trapped under the rubble, since there was no immediate arrival of concerned agencies.