Passengers Survive Fagaloa Bus Accident
Bus accident at Fagaloa.
Photo: Sasola Facebook / Collage : Eyespyradio 87.5 FM
Tragedy was avoided when all of the 30-plus passengers on board the Tuisamau bus that crashed last Saturday evening escaped the accident with light injuries and without any deaths or casualties, Police have also confirmed that there were no fatalities as a result of the accident.
The bus was on its return trip from Apia heading back for Fagaloa when the accident occurred due to faulty brakes and slipperiness of the road because it had rained heavily the previous Friday night and throughout the whole of Saturday morning. It is believed that the brakes of the bus weren't functioning as described by one of the lucky passengers who did not want their name mentioned in this news article.
In an interview with Eyespy Radio 87.5 over the phone on Monday this week, the witness stated that weather conditions on Saturday were awful with heavy downpour and light gusts affecting the road.
"The road going to Sauano was very slippery because it is a dirt road and still has not been tarred yet," conveyed the witness. "The weather was awful as well and added to one of the reasons why the accident transpired."
The witness further stated that as they were coming down a hill in Sauano, the driver suddenly yelled out to them to brace for impact as the brakes of the bus weren't responding when he was flooring the brake-pedal.
"At that moment when the driver said that the brakes weren't working, I felt my heart sink into my chest out of fear. I thought I was not going to see my family one last time,"
"In my mind I was praying and pleading to God to save us from the predicament we're now in. A few seconds later the bus crashed and rolled over. When it crashed, I could hear some of the passengers screaming while some were crying. I slowly crept out of the bus and tried to remain composed and process what had just happened before I helped some of them (the passengers) out. I'm just grateful to God that we survived that," said the witness.
A resident of Sauano who witnessed the accident take place, 24-year-old Tanielu Siliaga said he was waiting for his cousin who was travelling on the bus in front of the village store when he saw the bus crash. 'I saw the bus roll over and I was thinking none of the passengers could've survived that,"
"Thankfully, as me and some of the villagers were helping the passengers out, I saw my cousin with only a little scratch on her forehead," he said.
Police are investigating the matter to figure out what really led to the crash last Saturday evening.