Seventeen of the 32 people on board the 608 bus that crashed into the river near the Akaeze-Ishiagu Asia Bridge in Ebony State on Friday were confirmed’ dead.
Fourteen of the 14 victims were found’ dead
around 2pm on Saturday when a crane pulled the bus out of the river, while
three of the five people rescued on Friday died.
The state's Federal Road Safety Sector
Commander, Stella Uchegbu, made the update in a telephone interview with Punch
on Saturday. Seventeen of the 32 passengers on the 608 bus that fell into the
river along the Akaeze-Ishiagu Bridge in Ebony State. The death was confirmed’
on Friday.
Fourteen of the 14 victims were found’
dead around 2pm on Saturday when a crane pulled the bus out of the river, while
three of the five people rescued on Friday died.
The state's federal road safety sector
commander, Stella Uchegbu, made the suggestion in a telephone interview with
the Sunday punch on Saturday.
Our correspondent reports that the bus was
returning to Enugu from a burial in the AfIkpo area of Ebony when church
members drowned in the river while the driver was trying to overtake the truck.
Uchegbu said some divers from Port
Harcourt had joined the search for the missing.
"There were 14 bodies trapped inside
the vehicle. Seven men and seven women. All adults. They have been taken’ to a
morgue at a government hospital. The total number of people recovered so far is
19," he said.
"One of the five people recovered
last night died on the spot. All four were taken’ to hospital, two of whom
later died. Two people, including the driver, are still receiving treatment.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, the President,
Major General Muhammad Buhari (retd) expressed his condolences to the victims
of the accident.
His condolence message is contained in a
statement from his senior special assistant for media and publicity, Garba
Shiho, entitled, "President Buhari extends his condolences to the state of
Ebony after the Akaeze-Ukwu River tragedy. "
Also, Ebony State Governor David Umahi,
who visited the crash site on Saturday, offered his condolences to the families
of the victims.
The governor urged drivers to refrain from
reckless driving in a statement issued by his special assistant for media and
publicity, Francis Nwaze.
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