By Davida Spaine-Solomon
Freetown, 23rd December 2025- As the festive season gathers momentum, a time often marked by increased road use and a rise in traffic incidents, Freetown residents were jolted awake in the early hours of Tuesday morning by a frightening accident at the Congo Cross Bridge.
Residents around Water Street, beneath the bridge, say a large container fell off the bridge shortly after 1:30 a.m. on December 23, narrowly avoiding what could have been a deadly tragedy.
Mabinty Kamara, who lives under the bridge, recalled a tense and confusing sequence of events. She explained that around 1:00 a.m., word spread that police officers were on their way to the area to raid people believed to be living under the bridge, which is often described as a hotspot for illicit drug activities.
“Everyone started running in different directions because nobody wanted to be caught,” Kamara said. “About 30 minutes later, we heard a very loud and disturbing sound. It shook the whole place.”
Moments after the noise, residents saw a container rolling toward the area beneath the bridge. Fortunately, it became stuck before reaching where people usually gather.
“By God’s grace, nobody was there at that time,” Kamara added. “Everyone had already left the spot. If people were still under the bridge, this story would have been very different.”
According to residents, the container was carrying petroleum jelly grease, along with several empty grease containers, mostly white with blue covers. No injuries were reported.
Another resident, Ruth Bangura, confirmed the incident and suggested that a mechanical fault may have caused the accident.
“It looked like a brake failure,” she said. “But we are thankful that no one was injured. That is the most important thing.”
Augustine Weekes, a resident who joined others in helping to empty the container and repack the goods, said they were informed that the container was en route to Wilkinson Road at the time of the incident.
“We were told the container was supposed to be going to Wilkinson Road,” Weekes explained, adding that residents worked together to secure the items until authorities took over.
The container is reportedly owned by HJM Company Limited, an import and export business based in Freetown, with its headquarters on Wilkinson Road. The company is known to deal in various goods linked to Sierra Leone’s general trade sector.
Police officers were already present at the scene, safeguarding the container and surrounding property. They confirmed that no serious casualties were recorded and said their presence was strictly to secure goods and maintain order following the incident.
As Freetown continues to experience increased movement during the festive season, residents are calling for stricter safety checks on heavy-duty vehicles and heightened vigilance to prevent similar incidents.
For the people living around Congo Cross, Tuesday’s early-morning scare was a sobering reminder of how quickly disaster can strike and how narrowly it was avoided.
