Five dead and 12 injured in Ebonyi car crash

Five people, including a young girl, died and 12 others were injured in a single‑vehicle collision on the Nkalagu section of the Enugu–Abakaliki Federal Highway in Ebonyi State on Friday.

Daniel Asanya, the Ebonyi State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), told our correspondent in Abakaliki that the crash happened at Edema Bridge in Nkalagu, Ishielu Local Government Area. The vehicle was a white Toyota Hiace bus, registration RSH 231 XE, travelling from Abakaliki to Enugu.

The bus was carrying 17 passengers: 12 men, four women and one girl. Asanya said the impact killed five passengers—four men and the girl—while 12 others—eight men and four women—suffered injuries.

Preliminary investigations point to excessive speed as the cause of the accident. Items recovered from the scene included three mobile phones, two bags of personal belongings and a quarter bag of rice.

Injured passengers were taken to Annunciation Hospital in Emene, Enugu State, for treatment, while the bodies of the deceased were transferred to a morgue.

Asanya warned motorists to drive carefully, particularly on stretches of the Enugu–Abakaliki highway that are currently under construction or maintenance. He also urged the construction company involved to install sufficient reflective and illuminated warning signs to alert road users to ongoing work and improve safety on the highway.