Five people have lost their lives and six others are battling serious injuries after a tragic road accident along the Calabar–Ugep highway in Cross River State.
The crash occurred on Saturday evening in the Biase area during a heavy downpour, when a Taraba Mass Transit bus rammed into a stationary truck that had reportedly been abandoned by the roadside for about three days.
Eyewitness Denis Atem, a resident of Biase, said the rainfall had severely reduced visibility.
“The rain made the weather hazy, and the parked truck had no warning signs. The bus driver, though moving at a moderate speed, could not spot it early enough to avoid the collision,” Atem recounted.
The bus was said to be conveying passengers from Jalingo, Taraba State, to Calabar, the Cross River capital, when the accident happened.
Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps in Ugep confirmed the fatalities, noting that the bodies have been deposited at the Ugep General Hospital morgue.
The injured are receiving treatment at the hospital’s emergency ward.
Authorities are expected to launch an investigation into why the truck was left unattended and without safety signals on the busy highway.