Trailer Crushes Tricycle in Onitsha, FRSC Confirms Two Dead, Warns Drivers
No fewer than three persons were feared dead on Thursday morning when a trailer conveying a 40-foot container toppled and crushed a tricycle at the Mgbaemene Bus Stop, near Upper Iweka, along the Onitsha–Owerri Expressway, Anambra State.
The tragic incident occurred around 6:48 a.m. when the trailer, whose registration number had been defaced, lost balance while navigating a bad section of the road inward Upper Iweka.
The heavy container it was carrying fell off and landed on a tricycle carrying two passengers.
Eyewitnesses said the driver of the trailer lost control while attempting to manoeuvre through a section of the road riddled with deep potholes.
One of the bystanders, identified simply as Chukwuma, explained that tricycle riders usually use the small good portion of the lane due to the deplorable state of the expressway.
According to him, the trailer was also trying to pass through the same narrow space when it suddenly tilted and the container fell on the tricycle beside it, trapping the passengers inside.
The Anambra State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Corps Commander Bridget Asekhauno, confirmed the incident in a statement issued later on Thursday.
She said the crash was reported to the FRSC’s Upper Iweka Outpost around 8:20 a.m., and officers were immediately dispatched to the scene.
Asekhauno explained that four adult males were involved in the crash, two of whom were rescued uninjured while the remaining two were trapped under the fallen container.
The trapped victims were pulled out with the aid of a tow truck and rushed to a nearby hospital, where they were confirmed dead on arrival.
The FRSC boss described the accident as tragic but avoidable, attributing it to poor road conditions and loss of control by the trailer driver.
She urged heavy-duty vehicle operators, tricycle riders, and other motorists to always exercise caution, especially while plying bad portions of the road.
Officers of the FRSC and police were said to have worked jointly to secure the area and ease the heavy traffic gridlock that followed the crash.
The wreckage of the trailer and tricycle was later cleared to restore normal vehicular movement.
Residents and motorists have continued to lament the worsening condition of the Onitsha–Owerri Expressway, particularly around the Mgbaemene and Upper Iweka sections.
They called on both the Anambra State Government and the Federal Ministry of Works to urgently rehabilitate the road to prevent further loss of lives.
