Seventeen people have died in a tragic accident along the Calabar-Itu highway after a trailer crushed a commercial bus on Friday afternoon.
The accident happened when a 40-foot containerized trailer lost control and veered off its lane, landing on a 16-seater bus travelling from Uyo to Calabar. All 17 people onboard—16 passengers and the driver died on the spot.
Eyewitnesses at the scene described it as horrific. “There were no survivors. The trailer completely smashed the bus. It was a very terrible sight,” said a witness named Emmanuel.
He blamed the poor state of the Calabar-Itu road for the tragedy. According to him, the road has been in a state of disrepair for over 15 years despite repeated promises of repairs.
Local youths and residents helped to evacuate the bodies to a nearby mortuary.
Attempts to get comments from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the police were unsuccessful as officials declined to speak at the time of filing this report.
The Calabar-Itu highway, which links Akwa Ibom and Cross River states, is known for its terrible condition and frequent accidents. Calls are growing for urgent intervention to prevent further loss of lives.
