7 dead, 29 injured in Calabar Carnival – FRSC confirms
.As road accident claims 10, injures 6 on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed seven persons dead and 29 injured in an incident that occurred during the annual Calabar Carnival on Tuesday.
The Sector Commander of the Corps, Maikano Hassan confirmed the number of casualty to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He said that the incident occurred in front of the Jumat Mosque in Bogobiri in the capital city of Cross River during the Bikers Carnival activity of the carnival.
Hassan listed the number of injured to include 21 male adults, three women, two male children and three female children.
He said that the injured were rushed to Naval hospital and the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) for medical attention.
He said that the remains of the dead had been deposited in the two hospitals in Calabar.
According to him, the incident occurred when a Toyota Camry car lost control and rammed into crowd of onlookers during the carnival.
NAN reports that the incident abruptly brought the day five activity to an end, where the state governor, Prof. Ben Ayade was already seated with other dignitaries.
It would be recalled that the annual carnival which started during the administration of Donald Duke, have not held for the past two years.
The carnival was suspended in 2020 due to the out break of COVID-19 pandemic while no reason was given for the carnival not holding in 2021.
NAN reports that efforts were still being made to put some facilities in place for the 2022 edition of the carnival which was hurriedly put up.
Meanwhile, Gov Ayade has condoled with families of those who lost their lives and promised to bring to book the driver of the vehicle that caused the accident.
In another development, an accident involving a commercial bus on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Tuesday has claimed 10 lives and injured six others.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Sector Commander in Oyo State, Joshua Adekanye, confirmed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Ibadan.
Adekanye said the lone accident that happened around 6.30 a.m. on Tuesday around the Guru Mahajji area, involved a commercial bus with registration number TRK 135 ZY and a hit and run truck carrying a container.
He said the commercial bus which was travelling overnight from Malumfashi, Kastiina State, suddenly came across the truck carrying container that was driving against traffic.
Adekanye said that the bus, in order to avoid the truck, hit the container and fell into a ditch resulting in the death of 10 persons and injured six others while the truck run away.
He said the total number of people involved in the accident were 18 which comprises 17 male adults and a male child.
“People killed in the accident are 10 male adults.
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“People injured are six, including five male adults and one male child, while two adult males were unhurt,” he said.
The sector commander said that the injured persons had been taken to Ibadan Central Hospital for medical attention while the dead persons were taken taken charge to Adeoyo Hospital morgue.
He said that the police division at the tollgate area of Ibadan had of the crashed vehicle.
The sector commander called on motorists to always shun night travels and driving against traffic, saying the accident might not have happened if the bus was not traveling overnight from Kastiina State.
