No fewer than three persons, including two policemen were feared dead yesterday at Afor Enyiogwuggwu Market in Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State.
They died in an accident involving a convoy of bank bullion van and Mack truck vehicle, with sand.
The incident, which occurred at about 10 am, involved about six vehicles, including a Mack trailer, the bullion van and its Toyota Hilux escorts.
Seven people were also injured in the crash. The accident caused a traffic gridlock along Owerri- Umuahia Expressway, as sympathisers battled to recover the bodies of the dead and as well rescue the survivors.
According to an eye witness, the bullion van and its escort Hilux van were on the way from Owerri and heading towards Umuahia, the Abia State capital, and while approaching Afor Enyiogwugwu, the truck had already negotiated to enter the filling station before the market to buy gas when the Hilux van in front lost control and rammed into the oncoming truck. The other Hilux van as well as the bullion van also rammed into the already crashed vehicles.
The witness told our correspondent that as soon as the first vehicles had crashed, the other over-speeding vans swerved and continued to hit one another out of control.
As the sympathisers were battling to recover the bodies of the dead and as well rescue those injured, the witness said that some policemen quickly went in rescue the bullion van which sustained little damages and took it away, leaving the Hilux vans.
The dead bodies were, however, moved to a nearby mortuary, while those injured were conveyed to a nearby hospital for medical attention.
The spokesman of the Imo State police command, Mr. Andrew Enwerem, told our reporter that he was yet to get the information
