By 𝔸bdulrazak Tomiwa

There was panic at the St. Matthias Catholic Church, Agulu, located in the Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State, after a fully loaded lorry crashed into the church premises and immediately burst into flames.

The accident, which took place late on Wednesday along the Agulu Lake–Golden Tulip Hotel Road, resulted in a significant gridlock as motorists slowed down while emergency responders worked to put out the fire.

An eyewitness identified as Uzor explained that the lorry was traveling at a high speed when the driver lost control on the sloppy road, causing the vehicle to veer off and ram into the church fence.

According to Uzor, “The lorry was on high speed and veered off the sloppy road, crashing into the church premises and immediately going up in flames. Fortunately, there was no casualty as nobody was around the area at the time.”

The witness further noted that the incident caused a lot of tension in the vicinity, with first responders making efforts to quench the blaze before the arrival of the state fire service.

It was reported that the driver of the heavy-duty vehicle fled the scene immediately after the crash occurred, leaving the burning truck behind as the fire began to escalate.

Confirming the incident on Thursday, the Media and Publicity Unit of the Anambra State Fire Service, led by Chukwudi Chiketa, attributed the cause of the accident to overspeeding and loss of control.

Chiketa stated that firemen responded promptly to the distress call, successfully contained the fire to prevent further damage to the church building, and have since concluded operations at the scene.