On the Apapa-Oshodi road, a tragedy occurred yesterday at the Cele bus stop when two containers fell off a truck and landed on three automobiles.
A commercial bus with the license plate AKD 489 XZ was involved, and one of the trapped drivers was murdered.
However, his passengers and the occupants of the two other cars, a Toyota Rav 4 with the license plate AAA 353 FH and a Highlander SUV with the license plate AGL 366 FP, narrowly avoided death.
According to information obtained by Vanguard, a truck carrying two unlatched containers was travelling toward Apapa when it suddenly experienced brake failure. The driver attempted to stop the truck by using the median, but the two containers fell onto the moving vehicles, with the commercial bus and SUV suffering the most damage.
Some of the passengers who were able to get off the bus were hurt in different ways.
One of them, a mother carrying her three-year-old son, fell while attempting to keep her youngster in front of her. She was quickly transported to safety by sympathizers.
But a passenger, who narrowly escaped from the commercial bus, told Vanguard that “I can’t tell how it happened. I was reading my WhatsApp chats when I heard noise from outside. By the time I raised my head, passengers were jumping out of the vehicle. I also realised that the commercial bus had been pinned to the median.
“I can’t tell how I managed to jump out through the passenger’s window. All I remembered was the driver telling me to move immediately so he could come out through my side. By the time I came out, the container had landed. I was blank for some time…”.
Permanent Secretary, of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, who confirmed the incident in a statement, yesterday, said the truck driver lost control due to mechanical fault (brake failure) while at top speed and rammed into the vehicles ahead of it.
He said emergency responders, including officers of LASEMA and the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), were deployed to the scene immediately just as the paramedic personnel, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) personnel, paramedics and the police were all present at the scene to render assistance and in the rescue operations.
The statement reads: “On arrival of the agency’s LRT at the scene, it was discovered that multiple accidents, involving a MACK truck with unknown registration number conveying twin 20ft containers, a Volkswagen bus with registration number AKD 489XZ, a Highlander SUV with registration number AGL 366FP and a Toyota RAV4 with registration number AAA 353FH was encountered at the above-mentioned location.
“Further information gathered at the scene revealed that the truck driver lost control due to a mechanical fault (brake failure), while at top speed, before ramming into the vehicles ahead of it.
“Unfortunately, an adult male (bus driver) lost his life to the incident, while the injured victims, four in number; three males and one female, have been transported to the hospital. The agency’s LRT, FRSC, agency’s paramedics and NPF are the responders present at the scene.
“Recovery operation pending, as the atmosphere is charged with street urchins attacking people at the scene. However, the remains of the deceased have been bagged and handed over to the relatives. The agency has requested police coverage to manage the safety of our first responders. Further updates to follow.”
Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that one person died in the accident.
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