Eight die as bus plunges into river

UMUAHIA – AT LEAST, eight persons were feared dead weekend, including a candidate and two others suspected to be invigilators at the last Saturday’s UTME examination taken across the federation when the 18-seater bus they were travelling in plunged into Igu River in Ozu-Abam in Arochukwu local government areas of Abia State at about 4:30pm. The bus is owned by Ohafia Local Government Mass Transit. Among the people who lost their lives were some people who went for their JAMB examination at the Federal Government School, Ohafia. An eyewitness account said the driver of the bus lost control of the vehicle, forcing it to plunge into the river, popularly known as “Omenuko River.” The villagers were said to have jumped into the river in an attempt to rescue some of the victims.  The source  said the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, at Ohafia was immediately contacted to also help in taking the injured to the hospital at Ohafia, while the dead were deposited at the mortuary. The driver of the bus, Uyo Kalu, was later transferred to the intensive care unit of the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia.