No fewer than nine persons were burnt to death in a ghastly motor accident at the 135 axis of the Enugu-Abakaliki express road on Tuesday.

A witness, Miss Oluchi Ikpe, said that the accident happened around 10 a.m., adding that one of the crashed vehicles, a Coaster bus involved was traveling from Lagos to Ikom, Cross River state.

A NAN correspondent who visited the scene reports that it involved an articulated vehicle conveying stone-chippings and the Coaster bus carrying passengers.

Mr James Owoh, the Director of Fire Services in Ebonyi, who confirmed the incident, said that the front tyre of the articulated vehicle burst, a development that made it to lose control and ram into the oncoming bus.

“The heavy impact of the clash sent both vehicles into flames and nine persons were already dead by the time our officers arrived the scene.

“The driver of the articulated vehicle and his conductor were among the dead, three of the dead were burnt beyond recognition while three other victims had been rushed to a nearby hospital,’’ he said.

Owoh, who said that a motorcycle was also involved in the accident, added that his men successfully evacuated the victims with the assistance of officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission, among other security agencies.

“We have effectively put out the flame resulting from the crash and the bus was totally burnt. The articulated vehicle is, however, not burnt,” Owoh said.

An official of the FRSC who spoke on the condition of anonymity described the accident as terrible.