Onitsha Tanker Fire Disaster: Commercial Bus Drivers Return To Business without passengers

www.odogwublog.com reports exclusively that barely five days after a tanker rammed into the Asaba Park,
Upper-Iweka area of Onitsha killing about over 89 people, the commercial drivers in the same park have returned to their daily business.



But these buses inside the park have no passengers not even one  as nobody was seen boarding or disembarking from any of the buses.



At the Asaba park yesterday about nineteen (19) buses painted in blue and white colour were seen parked inside the park, while the drivers sat at various points inside the park discussing the latest gossip in town as if nothing had happened.



The trauma appears to have left them as they were seen exchanging pleasantries with their colleagues who probably were meeting one another for the first time after the unfortunate incident last Sunday.



Mr. Chukwuemeka Emodi who identified himself as the chairman of the park told our correspondent that the drivers were still recovering from the shock of the incident after witnessing the gruesome death of some sympathizers who had rushed to rescue some victims trapped by the ravaging gasoline tanker which later exploded several minutes after it had rammed into the bus park.



Mr. Emodi observed that the commercial drivers lost one of their colleagues, Azubuike who hailed from Ebonyi state, but regretted that none of the deceased relations had shown-up since the incident occurred.



He gave a pathetic story of how the deceased Azubuike, lost his life ”when the tanker rammed into our park Azubuike and others, as good Nigerians immediately rushed to the spot to assist in the rescue operation of some people trapped under the heavy truck”.



“The tanker had not exploded then. It was only about thirty to forty minutes when they were still trying to save some lives that the tanker exploded and consumed all those who had rushed to save other people’s lives. That was even what gave rise to the causality figure. Two of our members are still in critical condition in the hospital after sustaining severe burns”.



Anambra state Government entered into contract with a businessman for the management of the park after paying an undisclosed amount of money to the state.



The park manager confided in this correspondent that he was employed by somebody to manage the park for him after reaching an agreement with the Anambra State Government.



He, however, pleaded with the government to show sympathy to the bereaved families by paying compensation to the drivers who lost about twelve buses to the inferno and others who lost their beloved ones in the unfortunate incident.



     However, the Anglican Bishop of Amichi diocese, Right Reverend Ephraim Okechukwu Ikeakor called for Governor Willie Obiano’s intervention on the families of the victims and a permanent solution to the incessant tanker fire on that spot thanking God it happened not on a week day as many lives would have been lost.



He advocated for a national thanksgiving day in Nigeria as lots of disasters that kill people in millions are not witnessed here and when such raise its ugly head God always intervened as He did with Ebola outbreak and others.



He commiserated with families of the deceased and victims describing the incident as regrettable, avoidable and unfortunate.