Tension in Onitsha Main market as thousands of people trooped to scene of accident -------------Corpses still littered Onitsha morgues

www.odogwublog.com there was tension this Monday morning as thousands of people doing business in
Onitsha and Asaba as well as residents of Onitsha, Asaba and environs thronged the scene of the fuel tanker incident that killed over 69 people, 14 mini-bus, three tricycles and a motorcycle. 
Tears were still flowing freely in the eyes of from of some on-lookers, friends and relatives of those that were at the scene even when they have not known the victims.

The people also thronged hospitals and mortuaries in Onitsha searching for their relatives and loved ones or to have better information on the incident as a lot have been said since it happened.
Morgues and mortuaries in Onitsha were still littered with charred corpses waiting for identification or for mass burial even as our correspondent sighted over 30 corpses at the two hospitals close to the incident scene.
At Toronto Hospital and Onitsha General Hospital, some of the corpses of the victim were seen piled up at the backyard of the two hospitals, waiting identification by relatives and government mass burial.


The incident would have been worse than what happened was it on a week day as the Asaba Park at the Upper Iweka axis of the Onitsha-Enugu Road would have been filled to capacity. People were seen checking vehicles and confirming manifests they got from transport companies.
It was alleged that most of the victims of the incident came from Asaba send on their way back to their homes towards the evening hours since the incident happed about 3:30.


The management of Borrowmeo Mission Hospita restricted movement of people who came to search for their loved ones and commensurate with the victims, when they thronged the entrance.

But the Chief Medical Director of Toronto Hospitals, Onitsha, Dr Emeka Eze, said those admitted in his hospital following the incident are in stable condition, adding that the hospital had been able to cope with the large number of patients and had all the necessary medications and equipment meant to be attended to them.


``As you can see, they are in good and stable condition. We have been putting in our best and one good thing working for us is that the hospital got the necessary medication and equipment to attend to emergencies such as this,’’ he said.

As well at the Onitsha General Hospital those admitted in the emergency and accident unit of the hospital had been transferred to the Anambra State University Teaching Hospital, Amaku in Awka according to a Matron who does not want to be mentioned.


She said: ``those alive but wounded had been transferred as early as 5 a.m. to Amaku Teaching Hospital,’’ she said.



A survivor and a bus conductor, Mr Innocent Obioma, said that his master was affected while he run to assist those in the vehicles the tanker fell on initially.


His words: ``As Oga Okoli jumped out of our bus and attempted to help a woman with a baby in a bus the tanker fall on; the tanker exploded and everybody within the circumference including Oga Okoli got mercilessly burnt instantly.


``Oh, what a disaster and sad end for my compassionate master.


``What will I tell the wife that gave us some small denomination we used for change yesterday morning before we left home in Asaba,’’ Obioma said.