Two persons have been confirmed dead after a bicycle conveying two youths rammed into a commercial jeep along Okigwe Road, Owerri, Imo State, on Christmas Eve.

Eyewitnesses said the victims were riding on a small bike after a football training session in Orji, Owerri North Local Government Area, when they had a head-on collision with the jeep and died on the spot.

The accident caused a massive traffic gridlock on the busy Okigwe Road, with traffic wardens struggling to control the situation as stranded Christmas travellers were left in distress.

Angry youths reportedly swarmed the scene, triggering a chaotic stampede that further worsened the situation.

An eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the victims were from Amatta in Ikeduru Local Government Area and were returning from football training at Orji when the accident occurred.

He added that the bodies of the deceased had been evacuated by an ambulance and taken to the mortuary.

In a related incident, no fewer than five persons reportedly lost their lives in another fatal accident at Akabo Market in Ikeduru Local Government Area on Christmas Eve.

According to eyewitness accounts, a truck lost control and rammed into the crowded market, crushing several people. One eyewitness described the scene as gory, noting that many of the victims died instantly.

Confirming the development, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, said he had not been officially briefed on the Akabo Market accident.

However, he said investigations were ongoing to ascertain the cause of the Orji accident, which claimed the lives of two persons. (The Guardian)