Passengers involved in a bus accident at Wainadoi are requested to visit the nearest Police Station to have their statements recorded.

A Sunbeam bus carrying about 30 passengers veered off the Queens Highway on Sunday afternoon, November 5.

Divisional Police Commander Eastern, Senior Superintendent of Police, Josua Vodo, is requesting all passengers to have their statements recorded to help Police with the ongoing investigation into the alleged circumstances surrounding the accident.

Police spokesperson Wame Bautolu said the injured were admitted at the Lami and Navua hospitals.

“Three of the last passengers admitted for observation, were released on Monday, November 6,” he said.

Members of the nearby communities witnessed the incident on Sunday. Veresi Savu, 27, remembered the incident vividly because it was right after lunch when they heard the loud crashing sound coming from the road.

The incident occurred just metres away from the Wainadoi Police Station.

“My sister called out saying a bus was lying sideways on the opposite side of the road,” he said.

“I ran outside to see the commotion. My two brothers joined me later to help passengers with their belongings off the bus .”

Mr Savu was thankful the bus did not catch fire or explode.

“I’m glad it was nothing too serious, although most passengers’ sustained injuries,” he said.

Opposition concerned

Opposition Transport spokesperson and former Land Transport Authority (LTA) chief executive, Naisa Tuinaceva, said the alarming statistics of road fatalities on the Fiji road was a worry.

“Within a span of two weeks, seven deaths were recorded involving buses,” he said.

“People are killed on our highways, on bridges, on pedestrian crossing, in the middle of downtown doing shopping or on footpath while taking a walk. This is the level of danger on our roads and streets right now.

“The number of public transport vehicles like buses, minibus and taxis involved in accidents has turned the dynamic of road safety completely in a different direction.”

Mr Tuinaceva questioned the LTA about the magnitude of safety problems on the Fiji roads.

He said the road carnage, figures, trend and patterns had suggested that people entrusted with the safety of passengers and public were lost.

Feedback: beranadeta@fijisun.com.fj