Three people were confirmed dead in an auto crash along the Ikom-Calabar highway in Cross River State. The Guardian learnt that the accident occurred on Monday in the Nko axis of the road in Yakurr Local Council of the state. 
  
According to eyewitnesses, the deceased were travelling in a grey Toyota Camry vehicle, when it swerved off the highway. Though the cause of the accident could not be immediately ascertained, it was learnt that the vehicle, which was on top speed, lost control and rammed into a tree.
 
Meanwhile, the remains of the deceased had been deposited in a morgue in Ugep, Yakurr Local Council Headquarters. The Guardian learnt that many people have died from auto crashes this year in the state as a result of the deplorable condition of roads, especially the Calabar- Ikom highway.
 
To address the situation, Cross River State governor, Bassey Otu, recently called for more funding for critical infrastructure. The governor made the call during a courtesy call on him by the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on East West Road in Calabar.  He said there was need for modifications to the East-West Road drawings into Calabar to avoid traffic snarl.
 
The governor used the opportunity to draw attention to the Calabar-Ogoja expressway, which he said, was in bad shape, and expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu’s administration would rise to the occasion and provide the much-needed infrastructural repairs and upgrade.