One supporter of Akwa United Football Club were yesterday feared dead while many sustained different degrees of injuries in Ekparakwa Junction, Oruk Anam Local Government, Akwa Ibom State, in an autocrash involving a Toyota Coaster Bus.
The Akwa United supporters club, who were inside a Toyota Coaster bus with Akwa Ibom state registration number 02A-138AK, were said to be travelling to Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, to cheer their players who were billed to play with Enyinba Fc of Aba at the liberation stadium when the coaster bus somersaulted along the way at Ekparakwa junction.
โOur supporters were travelling on the Akwa starlet bus for the game in Port Harcourt when they suffered a brake failure,โ club spokesman Uwem Ekoh told BBC Sport.
โThe bus flipped over, one of our fans died in the tragedy and several others sustained serious injuries.
โIt happened about 30 minutes after they left Uyo, so the supporters have all returned home for immediate medical attention.โ
The game between Akwa United and Enyimba did kick-off in Port Harcourt.
This is the third auto crash to hit the countryโs top division in three months. When contacted, the Akwa Ibom State Public Relations Officer, Federal Road Safety Commission, Godsgift Uwen, confirmed the death of one person.
Uwen said: โA lone accident involving a white Toyota coaster bus with AKS registration number 02A-138AK. 24 persons were involved, 23 injured, one killed. Victims evacuated to Mercy hospital, Abak and St. Stanasius hospital, Uyo.โ
Saturdayโs accident is coming exactly 10 days after a vehicle conveying Akwa Ibom Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supporters to the botched PDP convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, crashed along Ediene, Abak Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom.
The party supporters were inside a Toyota Hiace bus which collided with another Coaster bus.
The suspected supporters of PDP shortly after the accident had razed a vehicle belonging to officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) shortly after the accident.
