Traders and visitors at the popular Aba abattoir located on the ever-busy Aba-Ikot Ekpene Expressway in Aba North Local Government Area of Abia State were yesterday thrown into mourning as an articulated truck carrying textile materials rammed into the market, killing several people.
The accident occurred on Ahia Udele by the East axis of the Aba abattoir off the Aba-Ikot Ekpene Road at about 9:00 a.m. at the peak of the early morning rush hour which usually witnesses traffic jams
While a report has it that 10 people died, another had it that seven people were confirmed dead on the spot with several others who were wounded taken to different hospitals by their loved ones.
Our correspondent who visited the scene of the accident reports that efforts were being made to pull out the said articulated truck and recover trapped bodies.
Narrating the incident, an eyewitness who gave his name as Obinna said “from what we learnt, the truck parked where it was supposed to be offloaded.
“If the driver didn’t swing into the market, the damage would have been more as here is greeted with traffic jams.”
Another eyewitness who stated that he escaped death by the whiskers said: “I was standing by the roadside when I heard people screaming and just when I turned to know what was happening, the truck was almost where I was standing.
“I immediately jumped without knowing where I was going to land. Luckily, I dived into the gutter, but the truck diverted and landed where it landed.
“I cannot ascertain how many people that died. I am hearing seven. Some say nine, others say ten, as we speak, I am still traumatized as I saw death, but God said it was not yet my time.”
The Nation
