An 18-passenger bus, on Wednesday, plunged into the Ulasi River, Okija, in the Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State.
As of the time of filing this report, only the driver of the bus had been rescued.
A resident, who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone, said he was not sure how many persons were in the bus.
“The accident happened this evening (Wednesday). Security men are at the scene trying to bring out the victims. When I was there, only the driver had been rescued and he was unconscious. He was rushed to the hospital. That’s the much I saw,” the source said.
The Sector Public Education Officer, Federal Road Safety Corps in the state, Paschal Anigbo, confirmed the crash in a statement.
He stated, “Around 4.03pm on Wednesday, a lone road traffic crash involving a Mitsubishi L300 commercial bus with number plate ENU113XJ was recorded at the Okija Bridge, along the Ihiala-Onitsha Expressway.
“The crash was reportedly caused by brake failure. The vehicle plunged into the Ulasi River as the driver struggled to gain control of the vehicle after the brakes failed.
“He was rushed to the St. Thomas Hospital, Okija, by an FRSC rescue team from the Ihiala Unit Command. Meanwhile, efforts to tow the vehicle out of the river are ongoing.”