No fewer than 14 wedding guests lost their lives in a tragic auto crash along the Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway on Saturday evening.
The victims, who were returning to Umuahia, Abia State, from a traditional marriage and wedding ceremony in Enugu State, died when their coaster bus collided head-on with a trailer near the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, close to the popular 4-Corner Junction.
The accident, which occurred around 6 p.m., reportedly claimed the lives of 14 passengers instantly, while others later died in hospital. Several survivors are currently receiving treatment in medical facilities in Umuahia.
Most of the deceased were traders operating at Bonny Street, a major foodstuff market hub near Isi Gate in Umuahia. Among the victims was a popular Master of Ceremony known as MC Counsellor, who had anchored the wedding ceremony.
The groom, Mr. MacDonald Okechukwu, said to be from Orlu in Imo State, was reportedly among the traders in the area. The bride is from Amagunze in Nkanu, Enugu State, where the ceremonies were held shortly before the fatal journey.
Chairman of Bonny Street Traders Association, Mr. James Edeh, described the crash as horrific, disclosing that 12 bodies were initially evacuated, including eight traders and two kinsmen of the groom.
Preliminary accounts attributed to the trailer driver alleged that the bus was driving against traffic before the collision.
Bonny Street wore a sombre mood on Sunday, with shops shut as sympathisers gathered to console bereaved families.
While the Abia State Commissioner for Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Ngozi Felix, declined immediate comment, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the governor, Ferdinand Ekeoma, said the governor had directed that the victims be identified for necessary assistance.
