BY UKET OKA, Calabar
Three persons have lost their lives in an auto crash involving a red Audi 80 car in Calabar, Cross River capital.
Daylight Reporters learnt that the auto crash occurred on the eve of the day of the popular Carnival Calabar along the IBB Way close to Atimbo Roundabout when the vehicle rammed into the centre pavement killing all three occupants on the spot.
Our sources said it was the following morning of Thursday that people noticed the badly damaged car with the dead bodies inside.
A source, Kandy Umoh told journalists that he sighted the wrecked vehicle on Thursday morning with three persons dead already.
“The accident happened close to my shop. I came to do early morning runs in my shop, then I saw the vehicle slammed against the centre pavement. Three persons were gone,” Umoh said.
As at the time of filling this report, our reporter could not ascertain the cause of the crash.
Calls put across to the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) SP Irene Ugbo could not be picked.
Also, the Road Safety Public Relatons Officer in the State could not be reached as his phone was “unreachable,”
But impeccable sources in the FRSC Office in the State confirmed the accident, but could not give details of the cause.
Several crashes have occurred in Calabar this year with some of them being due to break failure.
On 16 November, a brake failure involving a truck led to the injury of four Calabar Urban Development Authority, (CUDA) workers at Mary Slessor Roundabout.
On the night of same day, a gold coloured Honda vehicle crashed into a fence at Ediba Qua, leaving the driver and a few others injured.
Earlier this month, a vehicle carrying traders rammed into a truck parked at the centre of the road along Murtala Muhammed Highway by NYSC leading to the immediate death of two passengers.
Briefing drivers at the 2023 State Quadrennial Delegates Conference of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), held on November 30 in Calabar, the Federal Road Safety Sector (FRSC) Commander in the State, Corps Commander, I. A. Ibrahim, attributed the root cause of road crashes to over speeding and carelessness on the part of drivers.
Ibrahim said the theme for this year’s Ember month message is, “Speed Thrills But Kills,” adding that, “I want to use this opportunity to tell everyone to be responsible, drive responsibly; we should drive by distance and not by time.”