No fewer than three persons have been feared dead on New Year’s Day after a saloon car rammed into a stationary truck at the Obiri-Kwerre flyover in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
According to the report, the incident occurred in the early hours of New Year’s Day as the occupants of the vehicle including a man and his daughter were returning from a crossover service.
The occupants were said to have been unaware that a waste truck was parked along the road leading to the accident which took three lives instantly.
While others sustained serious injuries and are receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital, a brother to one of the dead, who identified himself as Engr. Ajiboye Amaho blamed the driver of the waste collection truck for indiscriminate parking without any caution signs.
Anahi who named the dead victims as Ahmed, Aziz and Sheilla, called on the government to check “the careless acts by drivers, which had become prevalent in recent times.”
He said; “It is so unfortunate that a waste collector truck stationed on Obiri-Kwerre flyover caused an accident. The truck was just stationed without any sign of caution, and my brother, Ahmed, rammed into it when they were coming back from the crossover night.
“The incident took three lives, including Ahmed, Aziz and Sheilla. Other people in the vehicle are still unconscious in the hospital. So I’m calling on the government to look into this matter (indiscriminate parking), as this kind of act has claimed many lives in Rivers State.
“Let the government do a proper investigation and look critically into this matter. I’m also calling on the waste management agencies to monitor their contractors and call them to order to avoid the loss of innocent lives.”
The spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko also confirmed the incident, saying an investigation was ongoing to ascertain the cause of the crash.
He said, “Yes, I can confirm the incident. Their vehicle rammed into a stationary truck.
“Our hearts go out to the victims. However, an investigation is ongoing to ascertain the details of what happened.”
