BY DAUD OLATUNJI
ABEOKUTA—Two separate accidents that claimed a total of seven lives, Wednesday, brought Abeokuta to a stand still. Of the seven victims, four were students said to be on religious retreat.

Four  students of the Apostolic Church Students Fellowship of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic chapter, Abeokuta were reportedly drowned in a river  beside the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta where they were  holding a seven- day prayer and fasting retreat.

The second, a auto crash, occurred in Kemta, along Olabisi Onabanjo way, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta. A total of 13 vehicles and two motorcycles were involved. Three lives were lost while  four others including a four-year old boy were  seriously  injured..

According to reports, the prayer coordinator in the first incident, who is an eye witness is being detained at the Police Station, Lafenwa Divisional Headquarters, Lafenwa Abeokuta.

It was gathered that the leadership embarked on 7 days prayer and fasting retreat, the first face of which held at the fellowship building, in Oluwo Abeokuta before proceeding to the venue of the accident.

A member of the church who spoke on anonymity said, it was a day before the retreat ended when members decided to take their bath in a river nearby. The source disclosed that the female members had finished bathing when the male decided to swim not knowing that the river was very deep.

All efforts to discuss with the detained prayer coordinator proved abortive as the police officers at the station said it is only their boss, who was not available could authourise it.

It was  gathered that one of the deceased whose name was given as Lekan, an ND II student of Business Administration was a Muslim but only accepted to join the fellowship about two weeks ago.

Other deceased were simply identified as Ebenezer of Elect/Elect Department, Olamide of Architectural Department and Nifemi who was studying Mass Communication.

It was gathered, as at time of this report that only three bodies had been recovered from the river while the fourth was still missing.

The three bodies have been deposited at a morgue in an undisclosed hospital in Abeokuta

The second  accident occurred at Idi-Aba around noon, following a break failure by a truck with number plate XS 708 JJJ which  crushed about twelve vehicles which were on coming, killing some occupants.

The vehicles affected include a gold coloured car marked  Lagos ES 655 AAA, a Coaster bus, XZ 718 MUS and two motorcycles.