At least 12 family members died in a tragic road accident along Juba-Nimule highway on Saturday.
Four other people were injured in a terrible traffic accident.
The accident happened at around 1:00 PM when a fuel tanker collided with another vehicle at Amee junction in Magwi County, Eastern Equatoria State.
According to an eyewitness, a Toyota Noah mini-bus traveling from Juba to Nimule, collided with a fuel tanker coming to Juba.
All adults’ passengers onboard confirmed dead, only the driver and three kids survived in the incident.
They are now receiving treatment in a hospital in Nimule town.
Footage posted and shared on social media showed bodies surrounding the damaged mini-bus.
The eyewitness who declined to be named claimed that a Toyota Noah was carrying a family from Juba to Nimule when the accident occurred.
“The truck driver was trying to avoid a pothole when he unfortunately lost control of the vehicle and collided with the minivan,” an eyewitness told Eye Radio.
“The minivan got completely damaged, and the truck overturned and went up in flames.
“We found bodies lying in the grass and other bodies inside the car. Roughly 12 people died on the spot. Another one later died at the hospital . The driver is now in critical condition.”
The eyewitness added that those who perished in the fatal road accident were one family member.
“They are one family because in the morning he [Toyota Noah driver] was taken from the park to pick a family from the Mangateen residential area. He was coming after me but I reached Nimule before him,” said an eyewitness.
“Indeed, when I arrived at Nimule, after an hour they called me and I was told that their vehicle had an accident, from there I moved and went to the site of the accident and found what happened.”
It is not clear what caused the accident.
However, the police spokesperson confirmed the tragic road accident. Maj.-Gen. Daniel Justin told Eye Radio that the fuel tanker driver fled after the accident.
The police have launched an investigation and filed a case against the runaway driver.
“The accident involved a fuel truck that knocked a small Toyota Noah minibus as a result of that accident,” Daniel Justin told Eye Radio.
“The 12 people who were in the van lost their lives and four others were injured, including the driver and three children.
“When we got the information, our forces on the ground went and took the bodies to Nimule Hospital.”
Meanwhile, travelers say the highway is getting narrower, especially when grass is long. Besides, there are also several potholes along the road.
Source: Eye Radio