At least 10 worshippers lost their lives, and several others sustained injuries in a tragic accident at the Orogwe market bus stop in the Owerri Local Government Area of Imo State.
The accident, which involved a luxurious bus and an empty sand tipper, took place on Friday, April 19, 2024. According to an eyewitness, the luxurious bus, belonging to the Lord’s Chosen Ministry, was transporting members of the church from Lagos State to a program scheduled to begin on Saturday in Owerri when the incident occurred.
Sources reveal that the accident occurred when the speeding luxurious bus attempted to avoid the tipper emerging from an adjacent road along the highway. Unfortunately, in its attempt to dodge the tipper, the bus collided with it from behind, causing it to crash into a culvert on the road. Tragically, the driver of the tipper and his conductor lost their lives instantly, while the bus allegedly crushed over ten passengers waiting to board vehicles at the bus stop.
As of the time of reporting, the bus driver had survived the incident. An eyewitness recounted the event, stating, “It was around 6 am this morning, and we saw the bus driver carrying Chosen members, maybe from Lagos, the tipper was coming out from that corner. We don’t know what happened, but we later heard a loud sound, we saw that the bus had crashed into the shops on the right side of Orogwe market.”
A survivor of the accident, a middle-aged woman, shared her ordeal, saying, “We’re many in that vehicle, I don’t know if it’s full or not but our loads were also inside, we were going to our church program in Owerri when the accident happened. Our load is still trapped in the bus, but that’s not what we’re saying now. A lot of people have been taken to the hospital, and most of them were removed from under the bus.”
Some locals recalled a similar incident four years ago at the same spot, underscoring the need for improved safety measures to prevent such tragedies.
