9 die in fatal crash

The badly damaged truck with some of the victims

A fatal crash involving a cargo truck with registration number RL C50511left at least nine people dead, with several others including the driver critically injured early Thursday morning July 7, 2016 on the infamous Gbarkor Hill in Bong County.

The truck painted in blue and green colors was headed for Monrovia. Four of the dead were said to have died instantly. Gbarkor Hill is adjacent Frehla, a town in Salala District, Bong County. It is a place that has been noted for several fatal car accidents.

According to report, the vehicle took off from Nimba County, and was headed for Monrovia when the driver lost control of his steering on top of the curvy hill, forcing the vehicle to slide off the road and summersault in the valley at about 4 a.m.

Among the four who died instantly were two males and two females. One of the females, a baby mother and resident of Monrovia, has been identified only as “B2” while one of the males was known as “Small Man.”

Eyewitnesses told this paper there were about 17 passengers onboard the truck along with bags of assorted food items including pepper and bitter ball, plantains and other food items meant for sale including materials.

The driver of the vehicle has been identified as Ikenia Emc Ike, a Nigerian, said to be a resident of Barnesville Estate in Montserrado County. He is reportedly said to be in a very critical condition, having sustained serious facial damage.

Another eyewitness, who claimed to have gone at the scene immediately upon receiving a phone call right after the crash, quoted some of the victims as claiming the driver was sleepy and over speeding when he lost control of his steering on the curvy hill and summersaulted into a ditch.

Our Margibi County correspondent who went at the scene Thursday during late morning hours said he saw all sorts of materials from the car scattered on the ground with the four bodies still lying there, while the front of the vehicle was smashed and other parts badly damaged.

One of the eyewitnesses – Kumba Fyiah, a marketer, explained that many of the people involved in the accident were her friends and business partners. According to her, one of the ladies who died instantly came from Monrovia and was a best friend to her, who had left her baby with her husband to go purchase produce for sale.

Meanwhile, the victims, including survivors have been transferred to the JFK Hospital in Monrovia.

Ramsey N. Singbeh, Jr. in Margibi-Editing by Jonathan Browne