Ovia River Bridge Incident: A Second Accident in Less Than a Week
A mere five days following a devastating accident that claimed 11 lives at the Ovia River Bridge in Edo State, another vehicle, a pick-up truck, met a similar fate. The truck, carrying passengers, ended up in the river after it was reportedly hit by another truck. The vehicles had slowed down to navigate the deteriorating bridge.
The incident occurred just moments before the arrival of the state’s Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, who was on an inspection visit due to the previous week’s accident.
There were conflicting reports about the type of vehicle that fell into the river. An eyewitness claimed it was a fully loaded Sienna bus, while the Federal Roads Safety Commission (FRSC) maintained it was a pick-up truck.
Upon his arrival, the Deputy Governor quickly arranged for local divers to search for survivors in the river and for a specialized vehicle to retrieve the sunken vehicle.
Paul Okpe, the FRSC Sector Commander, confirmed that rescue operations were underway, led by his team, who were promptly dispatched from the commission’s office at the old Toll Gate. He is awaiting their final report.
He stated, “Five vehicles were involved; the truck that hit them and four vehicles who had slowed down to pass through the bridge. The Ovia River is in a valley so vehicles especially trucks coming from both ends are always descending a slope and there are small vehicles slowing down to access the bridge. I have been talking to the Federal Controller of Works and he has said they were going to fix it.”
He further added that no lives were lost in this incident. A person who was in a Lexus Jeep when the truck collided with the vehicles has been rescued and is currently receiving treatment in a hospital. The Deputy Governor was present at the scene and facilitated the mobilization of divers and a towing vehicle to the area.
He concluded, “As I speak my men are still there so we have to wait until they are through with their efforts and those of the divers but they said the vehicle that plunged into the river was like a Ford truck so we will wait for them to get the whole details.”
