Edo Road Tragedy: Bus Plunges into Ovia River, 2 Dead, Passengers Trapped as 6 Rescued

On a day the campaign convoy of the Edo State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC rammed into a Toyota Camry car at Warrake Road in Owan East local government area of the state, killing five persons and leaving one other in a critical condition, the Federal Road Safety Corp reported on Friday that it had recovered two dead bodies, and rescued six other persons alive in a lone accident along the Benin -Ore Road involving a commercial bus which plunged into the notorious Ovia River on Thursday. The FRSC said the chances of survival of those still trapped underneath the river were slim due to time factor.

The Edo State Sector Commander, Cyril Matthew, who confirmed the Warrake Road carnage, but did not give further details, said more passengers were still trapped in the bus inside the Ovia River while his men were frantically engaged in rescue operation which started Thursday evening and continued on Friday, adding that divers who were contacted to help recover the passengers still inside the river, were demanding N2 million.

According to Matthew, “Six people were rescued alive, while one was recovered dead yesterday. Another body was recovered dead today (Friday). Unfortunately, the chances of survival of the remaining passengers in the river are slim, given that the accident occurred yesterday evening. We have engaged divers to help recover the bodies, but negotiations are ongoing. The divers are asking for N2 million to carry out the recovery”.

Giving more details, he said the accident occurred at about 4:20 pm on Thursday when a bus traveling from Lagos and heading to Port Harcourt veered off the highway and plunged into the river.

Matthew said “according to passengers who survived the crash, the driver lost control of the bus after experiencing brake failure. In a desperate attempt to avoid colliding with vehicles in front, the driver veered into the opposite lane, leaving the Ore-Benin-Lagos route and crossing over to the Benin-Ore Road. However, due to the speed of the vehicle, the driver was unable to regain control, causing the bus to hit a pavement and plunge into the river”.

Meanwhile, more facts have emerged on the crash involving the campaign convoy of the APC governorship candidate. A source who witnessed the Warrake Road accident said that the campaign convoy was moving at breakneck speed when it overran the victims’ Toyota Camry car as it was attempting to negotiate a bend. One of the vehicles in the convoy, a Toyota Tundra, reportedly veered off and ran headlong into the car killing four on the spot.