CITIZENS COMPASS– SEVEN people have reportedly died while 29 others were injured on Tuesday, in Calabar,Cross River State when a Toyota Camry lost control and rammed into the venue of a carnival.
According to eyewitnesses’ account, the incident occurred shortly after the Bikers’ parade was flagged off at about 5:00pm.
It was learnt that a parade was ongoing when suddenly one of the cars on the parade, sped off from Eleven-Eleven Round-About along Calabar Road heading for Mary Slessor, one of the adjucation points.
The driver was said to have lost control and rammed into the crowd around the Central Mosque at Bogobiri and killed some persons on the spot.
It was gathered that 20 minutes after the incident, another set of the merry makers gave up the ghost while others died on the way to various hospitals.
Those affected were mostly passers-by and shop owners who came for one business or the other around the Bogobiri axis.
The incident caused panic as people scampered for safety.
At press time, the corpses have been evacuated while a yet-to-be ascertained number of people were hospitalized.
Meanwhile, security personnel have cordoned off the Mary Slessor -Bigobiri axis to forestall breakdown of law and order just as the Carnival ended abruptly.
It was gathered that the state governor, Prof. Ben Ayade was already seated with other dignitaries when the incident occurred.
Confirming the incident, the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Cross River, Maikano Hassan, said it occured when the driver of the Camry lost control and rammed into the crowd of onlookers.
He said seven people died in the incident, while 29 others were injured.
