No fewer than seven persons have been confirmed dead while 29 others were injured in an incident at the annual Calabar Carnival in Cross River State.

The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Maikano Hassan, who confirmed the number of the casualty, said the incident occurred after the driver of a Toyota Camry car lost control and rammed into a crowd of onlookers at the carnival.

Hassan disclosed that the incident occurred in front of the Jumat Mosque in Bogobiri, Calabar, the Cross River capital during the Bikers Carnival activity on Tuesday.

The FRSC boss listed the number of the injured to include 21 male adults, three women, two male children, and three female children.

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He said those injured were rushed to Naval hospital and the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) for medical attention, adding that the remains of the deceased had been deposited in the two hospitals in the state capital.

It was further learned that the incident abruptly brought the day five activity to an end, where the state governor, Ben Ayade, was already seated with other dignitaries.

It would be recalled that the annual carnival which started during the administration of Donald Duke, has not been held for the past two years.

The carnival was suspended in 2020 due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, while no reason was given for the carnival not holding in 2021.

The Star