Four people, including a commercial bus driver, have died, while 13 passengers sustained critical injuries in a collision involving a truck and a commercial bus on Alaro City Bridge, inward T-Junction, Epe, Lagos State.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday by its spokesperson Adebayo Taofiq, adding that the truck driver also sustained severe injuries, including the loss of both legs, which became trapped in the wreckage.
According to LASTMA, preliminary accounts indicated that the truck rammed into the fully loaded commercial bus while both vehicles were traversing the single-lane bridge, causing a devastating impact that trapped several victims in the wreckage.
The collision claimed four lives, while the 13 injured passengers were rushed to a nearby medical facility for urgent treatment by the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS).
“Preliminary accounts indicate that the catastrophic incident occurred when the truck driver violently rammed into the commercial bus while traversing the single-lane bridge, triggering a devastating impact that left several victims ensnared within the mangled wreckage of the vehicles.
“The collision resulted in four immediate fatalities, including the commercial bus driver, while 13 other passengers sustained critical injuries.,” the statement said.
LASTMA operatives, with support from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), evacuated the bodies of the deceased to a mortuary.
Personnel from the Epe Police Division also provided security during the rescue and emergency response operations.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and wished the injured victims a speedy recovery.
He urged motorists to exercise caution, drive responsibly and comply with traffic regulations, particularly when navigating bridges, narrow roads and other areas where limited space increases the risk of accidents.
The agency said its personnel also implemented traffic management measures to ease congestion caused by the collision and restore normal vehicular movement along the affected route.
LASTMA reiterated its commitment to road safety and effective collaboration with other emergency response agencies to minimise casualties during road accidents.
THE WHISTLER reports that the incident comes days after a separate fatal accident at Mile 2, near Freeman Market, inward Apapa, Lagos, where a mother and her child died after two heavily laden 20-foot container trucks overturned.
The mother and child were trapped beneath the overturned trucks and their containerised cargoes, sustaining fatal injuries.