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Details
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Event title
Nigeria - 18 feared dead as ancestral tree topples, crushes bus in Enugu
Source
Severity
Mid
Event date (UTC)
2026-02-18 21:38:16
Last update (UTC)
2026-02-18 21:38:16
Area range
Local event
Address/Affected area(s)
Awhum, Udi Local Government Area, Enugu
Tragedy struck Awhum community in Udi Local Government Area, Enugu State on Tuesday evening when an ancestral tree known as “Ukwu Akpu Awhum” collapsed on a fully loaded 18-seater commercial bus, killing all occupants.
The tragic incident occurred amid a heavy downpour accompanied by thunderstorms, leaving the 18-seater bus completely crushed.
Local sources report that the commuters in 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.