A road accident has killed five people and injured 12 others along the Nkalagu axis of the Enugu–Abakaliki Federal Highway in Ebonyi State.
The Ebonyi State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Daniel Asanya, confirmed the incident and described it as a lone crash involving a commercial bus.
Asanya stated that the accident occurred at Edema Bridge in Nkalagu, Ishielu Local Government Area, when a Toyota Hiace bus travelling from Abakaliki to Enugu crashed.
According to him, the vehicle, bearing registration number RSH 231 XE, was carrying 17 passengers, comprising 12 males, four females and one female child.
The Sector Commander said five occupants lost their lives in the crash, including four male passengers and a female child, while the remaining 12 passengers sustained varying degrees of injuries.
He attributed the accident to excessive speed, disclosing that items recovered from the scene included three mobile phones, personal belongings contained in two sack bags and a quarter bag of rice.
He said the injured victims were taken to Annunciation Hospital, Emene, Enugu State, for medical treatment, while the deceased were deposited in a morgue.
Asanya urged motorists to exercise caution while driving, particularly on sections of the Enugu–Abakaliki Highway undergoing construction and maintenance.
He also called on the construction company handling the road project to provide adequate warning and reflective signs to alert motorists to ongoing work and enhance road safety.