Ancestral tree crushes bus, kills 18 commuters in Enugu

2026-02-18 - 13:26

By Alumona Ukwueze ENUGU — Tragedy struck Awhum community in Udi Local Government Area, Enugu State, on Tuesday evening when an ancestral tree known as “Ukwu Akpu Awhum” fell on a fully loaded 18-seater commercial bus, killing all occupants. The incident occurred during a thunderstorm and heavy rainfall, according to local sources. Commuters on the bus were traveling from Ukehe in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area to Enugu metropolis when the tree collapsed. A community member, Charly Okeke, expressed shock at the tragedy, noting that although branches of the tree had snapped in the past, no harm had previously come to anyone. Okeke suggested that recent acts of desecration by youths, suspected to be engaging in occult practices, may have contributed to the incident. “Some people started tying red and white cloths around the trunk, seeking spiritual powers. I suspect this may have caused the tragedy,” he said. The Awhum community has been thrown into mourning as families of the victims grapple with the devastating loss. Residents continue to call for caution around sacred and ancestral sites following the fatal accident.