Two Injured as Container-Laden Truck Plunges Off Anambra Bridge

Six individuals narrowly escaped death on Saturday afternoon when an articulated truck carrying a 40-foot container plunged off the New Parts Bridge at Nkpor, along the Onitsha–Awka Expressway in Anambra State.

The truck crashed into four vehicles below the bridge, leaving two people injured and four others unhurt.

The accident, which occurred around 1:00 p.m., caused severe traffic gridlock along the busy expressway as the fallen truck and the affected vehicles blocked the road for several hours.

According to eyewitnesses, the Mercedes-Benz articulated truck suffered brake failure while descending the bridge. The driver subsequently lost control of the vehicle, causing it to veer off the bridge and crash into the traffic beneath.

Passengers who were already inside a commercial shuttle bus stationed under the bridge reportedly spotted the falling truck and managed to flee the vehicle just before the container landed on it. The two recorded injuries were sustained by passengers as they scrambled to escape the scene.

Confirming the incident, Margaret Onabe, the Sector Public Education Officer for the Anambra State Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), stated that the command received a distress call at 1:10 p.m. A rescue team from the Upper Iweka Outpost arrived five minutes later to secure the area and manage the situation.

According to the FRSC, the crash involved four vehicles:

* A Mercedes-Benz articulated truck (Registration: FTD581XA)

* Two commercial shuttle buses (Registrations: ENU540ZJ and BKL661XA)

* An Audi Volkswagen passenger car (Registration: ENU528MK)

“A total of six male adults were involved in the crash. Two sustained minor injuries, while four persons escaped unhurt. No fatalities were recorded,” Onabe said.

Before the arrival of the FRSC rescue team, the injured victims had already been evacuated to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. A heavy-duty tow truck was subsequently deployed to clear the wreckage and restore the free flow of traffic.

Reacting to the incident, the FRSC Sector Commander, Corps Commander Bridget Asekhauno, wished the injured victims a quick recovery. She urged motorists particularly commercial transport operators and drivers of articulated heavy-duty vehicles to ensure regular vehicle maintenance and verify their braking systems before embarking on any transit. Normalcy has since been restored to the expressway.