4 escaped death as Flyover Bridge collapses in Enugu

By Iheanyi Chukwudi

Four persons on Monday narrowly escaped death when the flyover bridge across the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway at the New Artisan Market in Enugu state capital, collapsed.

The two lorry drivers and two conductors who survived the disaster, were in their Lorries on the bridge, conveying goods when the bridge collapsed but escaped unhurt though their vehicles were badly damaged.

The incident left commuters stranded as vehicles, especially big lorries, found it difficult to source alternative routes to bypass the scene of the incident as the debris of the collapsed bridge blocked one lane of the dual carriageway.

An eyewitness, Ibrahim who is an artisan that comes to the area to search for daily job, said that the incident happened in the morning hours when the artisans have not come out for the day’s job seeking.

“Thank God this happened in the morning and on Monday when people do not come out early and much, if not we would have had so many casualties because artisans used to flood all these places."

“I came out very early to meet up with an appointment with a contractor. Tow lorries carrying goods were crossing on the flyover when it collapsed but that God helped the drivers and conductors they did not die, they came out really injured,” he narrated.

Another artisan, Chidi who is a Mason, said that the Flyover bridge had signs of weakness as it had many potholes, adding that “if there are still officials in the federal Ministry of Works who monitor the roads, they would have spotted this out before it gets to this stage of collapse.”

Meanwhile, Security operatives, officials of the Federal and Enugu State Ministries of Works, Federal Road Maintenance Agency and Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) were all around the scene to access the situation as well as to assist the road users plying the alternative routes.

Residents of estates in the area: Goshen Estate, Premier Layout, worshippers at the Dunamis Church and traders at the New Artisan market who use the flyover bridge regularly have expressed called on government and works ministry to do something quickly to give them alternative route as it has already started building up traffic gridlock.