At least three persons are feared dead, while several journalists sustained injuries in a tragic auto crash along the notorious Onyeama Hills axis of the Enugu–Onitsha Expressway on Saturday morning.
The accident reportedly involved multiple vehicles, including a black Toyota Sienna bus conveying journalists on an official assignment to Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Some of the occupants, including crew members from the African Independent Television and the Nigerian Television Authority, suffered varying degrees of injuries.
Among those affected are NTA reporter and Chairman of the NTA Chapel, Chimaroke Ugwu, his cameraman Jerry, as well as AIT reporter and Secretary of the Private Broadcast Chapel, Kelechi Ehirim, and his cameraman, Ifeanyi Ogbodo.
As of the time of filing this report, the identities of the deceased had yet to be confirmed. Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Nigeria Police Force were at the scene carrying out rescue operations.
The Onyeama Hills stretch of the highway has long been considered a high-risk zone due to its steep terrain and frequent accidents.
Reacting to the incident, Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Enugu Council, Comrade Obinna Ogbuka, expressed sympathy for the injured journalists and gratitude that more lives were not lost. He also condemned the recurring fatalities along the axis.
Ogbuka called for the urgent completion of the ongoing reconstruction of the Enugu–Onitsha Expressway to prevent further loss of lives.
