At least five passengers lost their lives in the early hours of Friday when a bus burst into flames along the Abakaliki-Enugu Expressway near the G-Hostel junction in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.
Eyewitness accounts and preliminary reports reveal that the bus, packed with passengers, ran into obstacles placed by a road maintenance crew working on dilapidated sections of the highway. The collision ignited a fire that consumed the vehicle, killing five occupants on the spot.
“It happened so fast,” a source recounted, noting that the bus entered the state around 12:20 a.m. when the accident occurred.
Joshua Ụkandu, spokesperson for the Ebonyi State Police Command, confirmed the gruesome incident, revealing that seven other passengers sustained life-threatening burns and are currently receiving emergency care at the Alex Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital in Abakaliki.
"The bus crashed into obstacles placed on the road for reconstruction work. The driver may have been unaware of the maintenance activity and lost control,” Ukandu said.
He added grimly, "The impact caused the vehicle to ignite instantly, burning five people beyond recognition. Seven others were lucky to escape but suffered severe burns.”
The horrific scene along the Abakaliki-Enugu Expressway has sparked outrage, with locals questioning the safety measures implemented by the maintenance team. No warning signs were reported to have been placed along the construction site, raising concerns over negligence.
One witness lamented, “It’s terrifying. How could a vehicle burst into flames just like that? We need to know why this happened and who is responsible.”
Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire, while grieving families await identification of the deceased victims, whose bodies were reportedly charred beyond recognition.
