A road accident involving a trailer and a police patrol Hilux truck at Naze along Owerri/Aba Road in Imo state, led to the death of a policeman and injuries of five others, including three officers.
The deceased was attached to the Safe Highways Patrol team of the Imo police command headquarters in Owerri.
The trailer driver and his conductor were also said to have sustained serious injuries in the accident, which reportedly occurred in the morning.
According to a witness, the incident occurred when the trailer heading toward Aba in Abia ran into another stationary heavy-duty truck loaded with assorted drinks.
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The witness added that while trying to avoid hitting the truck headlong, it rammed into the ill-fated police van.
The trailer marked: ‘Lafarge G328’, and loaded with floor tiles, after a head-on collision with the police van, rammed into the premises of The Eternal Sacred Order of Cherubim and Seraphim, Mount of Mercy, Naze Branch and smashed the fence.
The officers involved in the accident were said to be returning from night patrol.
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Another witness told reporters that people rushed to the scene to save the driver of the police vehicle who was trapped in the van.
The source said the deceased, believed to be a sergeant, was bleeding profusely from all parts of his body, adding that police immediately evacuated their colleagues and the vehicle.
Andrew Enwerem, police public relations officer (PPRO) in the state, confirmed the accident but refused to disclose the identity and rank of the officer who lost his life.
He said the injured had been taken to the hospital for treatment, while the deceased’s body had been deposited at the mortuary.
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Enwerem, who described the auto crash as very unfortunate, said investigations had commenced to unravel the actual cause of the fatal accident.
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