At least 18 commuters lost their lives on Tuesday evening when a massive ancestral tree, locally known as “Ukwu Akpu Awhum,” fell on a fully loaded 18-seater commercial bus in Awhum, Enugu State.
The bus, carrying passengers from Ukehe to Enugu metropolis, was caught in a thunderstorm accompanied by heavy rainfall when the tree suddenly collapsed, sources said.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic as the bus was crushed under the enormous trunk, leaving no one on board alive.
A local resident, Charly Okeke, expressed disbelief at the disaster, noting that while branches of the sacred tree had broken in the past, it had never before caused fatalities.
Authorities have yet to release an official statement on the incident, and rescue teams were said to have been on the scene following the tragedy.