Seventeen people lost their lives in a devastating road accident on Friday afternoon along the dilapidated Calabar-Itu federal highway, following a collision between a container-laden trailer and a commercial bus. According to eyewitness accounts, the crash occurred when a 40-foot trailer veered off its lane and fell onto a 16-seater bus en route from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, to Calabar. All 17 occupants of the bus — including the driver and 16 passengers — died instantly. “There were no survivors. The trailer landed directly on the bus and crushed it completely. It was a horrifying sight,” an eyewitness identified simply as Emmanuel told reporters. He blamed the accident on the poor state of the highway, noting that repairs have dragged on for over 15 years with little to no progress. By the time of this report, the victims’ bodies had been moved to an undisclosed mortuary by local residents and sympathizers. Attempts to get official comments from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the police in Calabar were unsuccessful, as both agencies declined to speak on the incident.