Three feared dead, journalists injured in Enugu highway crash
At least three people reportedly died in a ghastly motor accident on the notorious Ugwu Onyeama axis of the Enugu–Onitsha Expressway over the weekend. The crash, which involved multiple vehicles,
- From Damian Duruiheoma, Enugu
At least three people reportedly died in a ghastly motor accident on the notorious Ugwu Onyeama axis of the Enugu–Onitsha Expressway over the weekend.
The crash, which involved multiple vehicles, included a black Toyota Sienna bus conveying journalists said to be on an official assignment to Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Several occupants of the vehicle, including crew members from the African Independent Television (AIT) and the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), sustained varying degrees of injuries in the incident.
Those affected include NTA reporter and Chairman of the NTA Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Chimaroke Ugwu, alongside his cameraman, Jerry.
Also injured are AIT reporter and Secretary of the Private Broadcast Chapel of the NUJ, Kelechi Ehirim, and his cameraman, Ifeanyi Ogbodo.
Sources at the scene disclosed that the identities of the deceased had yet to be confirmed as of the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Police were actively engaged in rescue operations.
The Ugwu Onyeama stretch of the highway has long been considered a high-risk zone due to its steep terrain and recurring accidents.
Reacting to the development, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Enugu Council, Comrade Obinna Ogbuka, sympathised with members who sustained injuries, expressing gratitude that no journalist fatalities were recorded.
Ogbuka, however, decried the persistent loss of lives along the Ugwu Onyeama axis and called for the speedy completion of ongoing reconstruction work on the Enugu–Onitsha Expressway to curb further tragedies.
