Onitsha fire disaster death toll rises to 70

One more victim in the Sunday evening petrol tanker accident that earlier claimed 69 lives at the Asaba Park in Onitsha has died.

However, the Chief Medical Director of Toronto Hospitals, Onitsha, Dr Emeka Eze, confirmed that other victims admitted in the hospital following the incident are in stable condition, adding that the hospital had been able to cope with the large number of the victims.

“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”

The latest death has therefore brought the total number of dead at 70 at the time of filing the report yesterday.

This was contrary to the wild rumours making the rounds that 48 people later died in the various hospitals where they were rushed to shortly after the unfortunate incident.

The death of the latest victim identified as Ajee, a driver who was admitted at the nearby Toronto Hospital, was confirmed by the Chairman of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, (NRSC) in the state, Prof. Peter Emeka-Katchy.

“As I am speaking with you now, I am leaving the scene of the accident at Upper Iweka after visiting Toronto and General Hospital Onitsha for St Charles Boromeo Hospital for forensic tests on the victims, you know that if we don’t get that text it will be difficult to identify the corpses and that means if we do not succeed, it will result to mass burial for the victims, there is no truth that 48 more people have died as a result of the accident” he pointed out.

He, however, cautioned unauthorized persons, especially mortuary attendants from giving out unauthorized information to members of the public. He also urged concerned citizens to source information from only reliable officials.

It was also confirmed by authorities of the Onitsha General Hospital that those admitted in its Emergency and Accident unit have been transferred to the Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku in Awka.