The Federal Road Safety Corps has confirmed seven persons dead and 29 injured in an incident that occurred during the annual Calabar Carnival on Tuesday.
The sector commander of the corps, Mr. Maikano Hassan, who confirmed this, said the incident occurred in front of the Jumat Mosque in Bogobiri in Calabar during the Bikers’ Carnival activity of the carnival.
He explained that the incident occurred when a Toyota Camry car lost control and rammed into a crowd of onlookers during the carnival.
Hassan listed the number of injured to include 21 male adults, three women, two male children and three female children.
He said the injured were rushed to the Naval Hospital and the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital for medical attention.
He said the remains of the dead had been deposited in the two hospitals in Calabar.
Following the incident, the state governor, Prof Ben Ayade, condoled with the families of those who lost their lives and promised to bring to book the driver of the vehicle that caused the accident.
He blamed it on an errant motorist who allegedly ploughed into a crowd that thronged the carnival route to watch the bikers’ parade.
Ayade therefore cancelled the parade and directed the security agencies to apprehend the motorist who is on the run.
Spokesman for the governor, Mr. Christian Ita, said in a statement that the Ayade was devastated by the incident.
He sympathised with the victims of the accident and their families and ordered an immediate investigation to unravel how the motorist was able to get through security barricades to have access to the routes which were closed to the public.
According to Ita, the governor directed the immediate discontinuation of the Bikers parade in honour of the victims of the accident.
He promised to ensure the culprit is arrested and brought to book and sued for calm.
With NAN report
