The Lord’s Chosen Revival Movement, on Saturday mourned the death of two of its members, while expressing deep sympathy over three injured others in the auto crash in Owerri, Imo South East Nigeria.
The Church’s Director of Public Communications Pastor Louis Chidi in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said that the church regretted the unfortunate incident that occured when their members were on their way to Imo State for a revival.
The accident happened when a luxurious bus, conveying members of the Lord’s Chosen Church, collided with a Tipper vehicle.
Members of the church were said to be going to Owerri, the Imo state capital for a crusade billed to hold within the weekend when the incident occurred.
They had left Lagos to attend the programme holding from April 20 to 21, only for their bus to get involved in an accident at Eke-Orogwe, along Onitsha-Owerri road, claiming the lives of two and left three injured.
Pastor Chidi said that, the church prayed for the repose of the souls and for God to grant the families of the victims the fortitude to bear the loss.
“The last person is receiving treatment at an intensive care unit of the Federal Medical Centre FMC, Owerri.
” The dead have also been evacuated to the nearby mortuary.
“Among the dead was the conductor of the tipper vehicle and some commuters waiting at the bus stop.
“There was no casualty from the luxury bus belonging to the church.
“Rather the person that is lying in ICU of the FMC is a member of the church.
“The crash occurred at about 6; 20 a.m on Friday at Eke-Orogwe bus stop along the Onitsha-Owerri Express way,” he said.
Chidi pointed that the cause of the accident was the careless decision of the tipper driver who drove into the express way without observing the road to notice an incoming luxury bus and other vehicles.
He said that the luxury bus while trying to negotiate itself away from ramming into the tipper, plunged into the gutter hitting a coco-cola deport by the road side.
He explained that the three vehicles that were involved included a tipper with no registration number, a luxury bus with registration number XA213BD and a commercial mini-bus otherwise known as korope.
He noted that all of those vehicles were headed same direction.
He said that the traffic law cautioned the driver on the feeder road to ensure there’s no incoming vehicle before joining the expressway.
Speaking earlier on the incident at the scene, a community leader of Orogwe community in the Owerri West Local Government Area Mr Dominic Ejiogu, expressed regret over the death of the two young men in the accident.
Ejiogu commiserated with the families, gave kudos to the police and FRSC for their quick arrival and immediate evacuation of the injured to the hospital.
The community leader, cautioned the drivers to always drive the speed they could control and learn to respect the right of other road users.
“Drivers should demonstrate discipline while driving, by adhering to speed limit and observing all traffic rules. Ejiogu counselled”.
By Uchenna Eletuo
