RESIDENTS of Onne in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State could not control their tears at the scene of an accident that claimed nine lives on Tuesday..
The accident occurred when a jeep rammed into a makeshift restaurant, killing all the nine people who were at the time on their lunch break.
Apart from the nine persons that died on the spot, four injured others were rushed to the hospital by policemen on patrol.
The incident prompted some traders within the area to close their shops and moved towards the scene of the accident.
An eyewitness account revealed that the driver, who was driving a black Infinity jeep from Onne, suddenly swerved off the road and rammed into the canteen.
The driver, according to an eyewitness, took to his heels and abandoned his vehicle at the scene.
It was gathered that the driver, who was on a top speed before the accident, lost control of the vehicle.
"The accident was serious and those who were within the area where it happened initially scampered for safety and only came back when they were sure it was an accident.
"We did not see the driver and I learnt he ran away after seeing the level of damage caused by the accident. Nine persons died and I learnt some were also injured," an eyewitness told our correspondent.
Confirming the incident, the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, Rita Inoma-Abbey, told our correspondent that the vehicle involved in the fatal accident had no plate number.
Inoma-Abbey explained that the driver escaped from the scene while the deceased were moved to the mortuary and the injured persons were taken to Teme Clinic by the police.
"The jeep driven by the driver has no plate number in the front and at the back. The driver escaped after the incident and the police are currently on his trail," the police spokesperson said.
Inoma-Abbey noted that six of the deceased were females while three were males and added that investigation into the incident was in progress.
Also, the State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission, Mr. Osas Osadebamwen, advised motorists to always drive defensively to avoid unnecessary accident.
Osadebamwen pointed out that the only way to avoid such fatal accident was through adherence to traffic laws and shunning over-speeding.
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