Tragedy struck on Thursday morning when an articulated vehicle conveying a container fell along the Onitsha–Owerri Road, crushing three passengers in a tricycle to death on the spot and trapping three other tricycles under the container.
The accident occurred around 7:30 a.m. at the Mgbemena Road junction, during the busy rush hour when traders were heading to their shops. As of the time of filing this report, rescue operations had not commenced. Sympathisers and passersby trooped to the scene in anger, lighting bonfires and chanting anti-government songs as they demanded urgent rescue of the trapped victims.
Infuriated by the accident and the deplorable state of the road, tricycle operators immediately withdrew their services, insisting that authorities must respond swiftly to rescue their trapped colleagues and passengers.
For over five months, residents and road users have repeatedly complained about the worsening condition of the Onitsha–Owerri Road through various media platforms, including Brilla Sports Radio’s “Outside Arina” and Wazobia Radio’s traffic programmes. Their appeals to the Anambra State Government for urgent road repairs have gone unheeded.
An eyewitness, identified as Ebuka, a tricycle operator who was driving behind the truck, explained how the accident happened.
“As you can see, motorists are forced to use only one lane because the dual carriageway is impassable. I was following the trailer from behind when it struggled through a bad section of the road. As it tried to manoeuvre into the other lane, the container shifted. Before anyone could warn the tricycle operators ahead to clear out, the container fell on them and trapped them,” he recounted.
He added that one of the victims was a former manager of Aris Filling Station, who recently turned to tricycle operation to make a living.
“He plied this same road just yesterday. Today, he’s gone because the government ignored the people’s cries to fix the road,” Ebuka lamented.
By the time of this report, three people had already been confirmed dead, while several others remained trapped under the container, with eyewitnesses expressing fears that they may not survive before the container is lifted.
Residents described the situation as “callous and avoidable”, blaming the Anambra State Government for neglecting the road for over four months despite numerous appeals.
