More than 24 hours after a bus plunged into a mining pit in Enyigba community, along the Abakaliki-Ikwo road in Ebonyi state, no passenger has been rescued.
The bus was said to have been travelling along the road on Saturday, when it veered off the highway and plunged into the pit.
The number of passengers in the bus has not been confirmed.
Rescue efforts began on Saturday evening, and as of Sunday evening, no victim had been rescued.
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The area is said to be water-logged, and affecting the equipment brought in to remove the bus from the pit.
David Umahi, governor of Ebonyi, who visited the scene of the incident on Sunday, described the development as “very terrible and unfortunate”.
The governor was at the scene of the incident in the company of Aliyu Garba, Ebonyi commissioner of police, and officers of other security agencies.
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According to NAN, scores of people watched the rescue efforts and shouted whenever the crane tried to retrieve the bus.
The onlookers were, however, disappointed as the vehicle went off the crane’s hook whenever the equipment tried to retrieve it from the flooded pit.
Speaking on the development, Loveth Odah, Ebonyi police spokesperson, said rescue efforts will continue on Monday.
“All efforts made to retrieve the vehicle failed, as it remains unidentified with the passengers inside it. We are still hoping for the best and urge the people to remain calm,” she said.
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Stephen Orogwu, chairman of Ikwo LGA, described the incident as unfortunate, noting that the marshy terrain of the area made rescue efforts difficult.
“The pit is several feet beneath the ground as local, external and construction experts have been contracted to retrieve the vehicle,” he added.
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