LAGOS, Dec. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- A total of four persons have been feared killed and four others injured in a traffic accident in Nigeria's southern state of Enugu, the official News Agency of Nigeria reported Wednesday.

    An eyewitness was quoted as saying the accident occurred on Tuesday when a BMW sedan collided with a Mercedes at Amaechi Junction on the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway.

    The eyewitness said the driver of the BMW, carrying a family offour and heading toward Enugu, capital of Enugu State, lost control and hit the Mercedes traveling from the opposite direction,killing the driver and injuring three others.

    Three of the occupants of the BMW, including the owner's wife, son and a house help died on the spot, while the driver was rushedunconscious to a nearby hospital.

    Nengite Olale, divisional police officer in charge of the localpolice station called Awkunanaw, described the incident as a result of overtaking and overspeeding. "Road users should obey traffic regulations and avoid unnecessary overtaking," he said.

    Poor conditions of roads and vehicles, speeding, overloading and reckless driving are blamed to be the main causes of road accidents in the most populous African nation with a population ofover 130 million.

    Official statistics show that the west African nation now is one of the world's hardest hit by road accidents with over 7,000 people killed and some 26,000 others injured annually. Enditem