CITY BUS ACCIDENT

DELTA CITY BUS CLAIMS PREGNANT WOMAN,NINE OTHERS.

10 persons were feared dead while 4 persons survived an accident
involving a Delta City Taxi  at P.T.I Road by Masodje Junction,Effurun
in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State on Sunday January
12,2014.

Delta State Commissioner for Transport, Mr. Ben Igbakpa who was at the
scene of the incident said reports available to him were  that an
unidentified woman carrying fuel joined the vehicle with other
passengers from the park enroute Agbarho when suddenly an explosion
occurred killing 10 persons out of the 14 passengers on the spot while
4 persons survived the accident along the ever busy P.T.I Road in
Effurun.

Mr.Igbakpa blamed the driver for carrying someone with fuel and the
passengers for not keeping charge of the vehicle. According to
him,"the right thing for the passengers to do is tell the woman
carrying the jerrican of fuel that she cannot join the vehicle".

The former Delta State House of Assembly who described the scenerio
where passengers travel with jerrican of fuel in their private car or
public cars as "unfortunate" appealed to commuters in the state to
take "full ownership of the Delta City Buses and complaining where it
is needful noting that the State Governor, Dr.Emmanuel Uduaghan has
done his bit by providing the vehicles.

Chairman of the Special Marshal Delta State,Mr.Dickson Amromawhe who
corroborated the claims by the State Transport Commissioner said the
jerry cans of fuel were placed by the engine compactment of the city
bus which was already over-heated and in the process an explosion
rocked the vehicle leading to the death of the ten persons while four
survived with various degrees of injuries an act he described as
"quite unfortunate" noting that valuable lives were lost. He called on
drivers to be very careful and  stop carrying "volatile  and inflammable
materials" when travelling  just as he adviced passengers to be "bold
enough to challenge the drivers or anybody that is travelling with
anything strange to them".

An eyewitness who preferred anonymity said all he knew and saw was an
explosion of a city bus but before rescue team comprising the Red
Cross Society, Federal Road Safety Corps and the Police could come, ten
pensons  had already lost their lives.
As at the time of filing this report,it was not clear if the driver
of the vehicle and his conductor lost their lives or survived the
accident.