By Charles Nwoke
Two people, including a nine-month-old baby girl and a woman, died in a fatal road accident on Sunday at Uduma junction in the Uburu community, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
The crash involved a commercial bus carrying 25 passengers, including children, which lost control at a sharp bend and collided with another vehicle. Eyewitnesses said the bus was speeding before it flipped three times after the impact.
Local residents rushed the victims to David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital (DUFUTH), Uburu. The baby and the woman were confirmed dead on arrival. Others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
In a statement on Monday, the Public Relations Officer of DUFUTH, Agwụ Nwogo, confirmed that the passengers, mostly Ebonyi indigenes living in Imo State, were returning from a burial in Okporike, Abakaliki, when the accident happened.
Nwogo said the hospital activated its emergency response protocols immediately. “Two were confirmed dead on arrival, while 23 others sustained serious injuries, including crushed hands, fractures, lacerations, and traumatic brain injuries,” he said.
Eighteen victims, including the bus driver, remain hospitalized across the Accident and Emergency department, Surgery Ward, and Intensive Care Unit. Four others with minor injuries have been treated and discharged.
An 11-month-old child is in critical condition. She is receiving intensive care and is currently on a respirator due to respiratory failure linked to a severe brain injury.
The hospital management expressed sorrow over the tragedy and assured the public that all efforts are being made to provide the best medical support to the survivors.
