By Patrick Obia
Listen To The Report
It was a tragic afternoon in the city of Calabar, capital of Cross River State as an Army truck loaded with personnel was involved in a fatal accident.
The accident which is said to claim the lives of the personnel and several injured occurred hours ago at Bebobsco junction along the Murtala Mohammed Highway.
The cause of the fatalities cannot be ascertained at the time of this report but eyewitnesses who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the incident occurred within a twinkle of an eye and the truck stacked with soldiers swerved into the gutter due to the speed the driver carried.
The witness said, luckily for them, the truck fell on a car parked for sale by the roadside and emptied some of the personnel into the deep gutter leaving some dead and others injured.
The road witnessed gridlock as dreaded-looking soldiers mounted roadblocks, controlled traffic, and prevented passersby from taking pictures.
At the time this reporter arrived at the scene the truck had been towed out and kept on the main road by Ekpo Iso with soldiers standing in groups in shock.
Sources have it that the injured were rushed to Navy Reference Hospital about a minute drive from the scene.
It is suspected that the driver, who may have been on high speed, lost control of the vehicle under the heavy rains in the city capital.
Details from the scene show jollof rice and soup poured on the ground of the incident.
