No fewer than 20 people, including a commercial bus driver and two conductors, have reportedly died in a road accident in Imo State.

Witnesses said the accident occurred on Tuesday when a tipper truck collided with an 18-seater commercial bus along Njaba Bridge, in the state.

A source said that the tipper driver was attempting to avoid a pothole when he swerved off his lane and rammed into the bus, resulting in the deaths of 18 passengers on board, including two conductors and the driver.

The tipper driver reportedly sustained severe injuries and was unconscious.

A resident said that some bodies of the victims were trapped under the wrecked vehicles while others were recovered and taken to a morgue.

“Many people were trapped under the wrecked vehicles, as passersby assisted removing the bodies from the vehicles while those recovered were taken to the mortuary,” he said.

Okoye Henry, police spokesperson in Imo, is yet to react to the accident. (Text, excluding headline: The Nation)