By CHARLES LWUOHA

‎‎Five persons, including a female child, lost their lives while 12 others sustained varying degrees of injuries in a lone road accident along the Nkalagu axis of the Enugu–Abakaliki Federal Highway in Ebonyi State on Friday.

‎‎The Ebonyi State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Daniel Asanya, disclosed this in an interview with News Express Correspondent in Abakaliki.

‎‎According to him, the accident occurred at Edema Bridge in Nkalagu, Ishielu Local Government Area, involving a commercial white Toyota Hiace bus with registration number RSH 231 XE travelling from Abakaliki to Enugu.

‎‎Asanya said the vehicle was conveying 17 passengers comprising 12 males, four females and one female child.

‎‎“The crash claimed the lives of five persons, four males and one female child while 12 others, comprising eight males and four females, sustained injuries,” he said.

‎‎The FRSC commander attributed the accident to excessive speed, noting that preliminary investigations identified speed violation as the cause of the crash.

‎‎He added that items recovered from the scene included three mobile phones, two bags containing personal effects and a quarter bag of rice.

‎‎He noted that the injured victims were evacuated to Annunciation Hospital, Emene, Enugu State, for treatment, while the bodies of the deceased were deposited in a morgue.

‎Asanya urged motorists to exercise caution, especially along sections of the Enugu–Abakaliki highway currently undergoing construction and maintenance.

‎‎He also called on the construction company handling the project to install adequate reflective and illuminated warning signs to alert road users to ongoing work and enhance safety on the highway.