In a spate of one week, four nuns and eight others have died in three separate road accidents that occurred along major highways in Cross River State.

The Catholic reverend sisters died in their vehicle after a fatal collision with a Coca Cola trailer that had brake failure along the Ikom-Ogoja highway.

The dead nuns identified as Mary, Bridget, Judith and Stella were travelling from Handmaid of the Holy Child Jesus (a training institution for nuns) in Kakwagom, Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State to attend a function at a sister institution in Akwa Ibom State when they met their untimely death.

Southern City News also learnt on Friday that two other accidents including one which involved another soft drink distribution trailer, also claimed seven lives in the Calabar metropolis on Tuesday and Wednesday.
 
An eyewitness, who identified himself as Baron Okpa, said the Coca-Cola trailer was coming from the opposite direction when its brakes failed.

He said, “The trailer suddenly swerved to the other lane. In the process, the Toyota city car in which the six occupants were travelling was crushed, leaving four of the nuns instantly dead, while two of them were critically injured. They were rushed to the Holy Family Catholic Hospital at Ikom.

“The trailer driver took advantage of the smooth road between Alok and Nkarasi area of Ikom-Ogoja highway and was on top speed when suddenly its brake failed. The unsuspecting nuns could not, in anyway manage any defence, but were trapped and crushed. Their mangled bodies were dragged out and taken to a mortuary at Ikom.

“It was a gory sight to behold, as the mangled bodies were being forced out with blood gushing out like fountains.”

He said one of the nuns decided to use her private car for the trip because the bus they were expected to use for the trip could not contain all of them.

“In their desperate bid to meet up with the function at Akwa Ibom, six of them decided to go in the ill-fated car. Unfortunately, it was not to be. The trailer driver also sustained head and bodily injuries and was rushed along with the two surviving sisters to the hospital at Ikom.”

In another accident on Tuesday in Calabar, a man was burnt to death when the vehicle he was travelling in suddenly went up in flames at about 4pm along the busy Murtala Mohammed highway.

An eyewitness, Jide Johnson, said the white colour bus with registration number Cross River KTA 205 XA was heading towards Uyo when it pulled over with the driver rushing out and opening the booth while passengers struggled to come down through the door.

Johnson said, “The driver escaped with other passengers with one man burnt to death. The state’s Quick Intervention Squad fire truck arrived the scene at about 15 minutes after the bus went up in flames to put out the fire but it was late for the victim who was burnt beyond recognition.”

Meanwhile, in another fatal accident that occurred at the Eight Mile axis of Calabar on Wednesday, seven lives including that of a pregnant woman and her two children were killed.

It was gathered that the people were killed when a truck rammed into a smaller commercial vehicle due to alleged brake failure.

The smaller vehicle was said to have carried the pregnant woman with four children who were returning from school, among others.

Attempts to get comments from the Federal Road Safety Corps proved abortive as the sector commander, Mr. Ikechukwu Igwe, was said to be on an official assignment in Port Harcourt when the accidents occurred.