By LUCY OSUIZIGBO-OKECHUKWU

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Anambra Sector Command, has reported that an accident at Ukpo Junction, on Nteje-Awka Road in the state, resulted in eight fatalities on Sunday night.

The Sector Commander, Mrs Joyce Alexander confirmed the incident to newsmen on Monday, in Awka.

Alexander said the crash involved a Mack tanker without a registration number and a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number EKP375XM.

Alexander attributed the accident to speeding and wrongful overtaking which led to a head-on collision.

She said that an eyewitness account and preliminary investigations showed that the bus was traveling from Abakaliki to Onitsha.

?The bus was speeding and overtook dangerously before colliding with the tanker, which was heading towards Awka on a single carriageway.

?The crash resulted in eight fatalities ? four males and four females, while six others comprising two males and four females, were injured.

?The rescue team from Nteje attended to the injured victims, transporting them to the hospital for treatment.

?They took the bodies of the deceased to Jerusalem Mortuary in Nteje after confirmation by a doctor,? she said.

The Sector Commander visited the surviving victims at Regina Caeli Hospital and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Teaching Hospital in Awka, to assess their condition and offer support.

She condoled with the families of the dead and wished a speedy recovery to the injured victims.

Alexander also met with the Chief of taskforce, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, to identify areas for improvement and implement measures to reduce the risk of future accidents.

She urged drivers to prioritise their safety and that of others by maintaining a safe speed.

?Drivers must ensure they drive at a minimum safe speed and only overtake when the road is clear,? she said. (NAN)