Four people have been killed and six others injured after a container-laden truck overturned onto an interstate passenger bus on Berger Bridge, inward Eleko, along the Ibeju-Lekki Expressway in Lagos State.
The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
He said the accident occurred in the early hours of the day when an articulated truck conveying a 20-foot container collided with a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number GME-589 ZU.
According to him, preliminary investigations indicated that the truck was travelling uphill on the bridge at excessive speed when the driver lost control while attempting to avoid a collision, causing the truck and container to overturn onto the bus.
Oke-Osanyintolu said four adult males died at the scene, while six others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
He said emergency responders from LASEMA, working with the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Nigeria Police Force, secured the scene, administered first aid to the injured and evacuated them to Epe General Hospital for treatment.
A private crane was also secured to recover the overturned truck and container and facilitate the removal of the deceased victims.
The agency said recovery operations were ongoing, with traffic management measures introduced to ensure safety along the affected corridor.
The state government expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and wished the injured victims a speedy recovery.
In a separate incident, LASEMA’s Tiger Team from its C3 Base responded to a truck accident near Vetland School, inward Agege Pen Cinema, along Old Abeokuta Road, at about 4:09 am on Wednesday.
The truck, with registration number KTU-940XT, reportedly rammed into a solar-powered streetlight pole before mounting the road median and obstructing traffic.
Oke-Osanyintolu attributed the incident to reckless driving, adding that no casualty was recorded. The truck’s front section and the streetlight pole were damaged.
Traffic was diverted while the agency deployed its heavy-duty recovery equipment, Elephant, to remove the truck. It was subsequently taken to Abattoir Police Station for investigation and safekeeping, while the road was cleared and reopened.
In another incident, a DAF truck and a Toyota Corolla collided at Lanre Bus Stop, inward Igando, along LASU-Igando Road.
The permanent secretary said a broken-down truck on the opposite side of the road had caused congestion when the DAF truck, travelling against traffic, collided with the Corolla and blocked part of the road.
No death was recorded, but the Corolla driver sustained a minor head injury and was taken to Igando General Hospital by an associate.
The Corolla was towed to Igando Police Station, while LASEMA deployed its Super Metro recovery equipment to move the DAF truck to a lay-by. Recovery operations were ongoing as of the time of the statement.
Oke-Osanyintolu urged motorists to observe speed limits, avoid driving against traffic and reckless manoeuvres, and ensure their vehicles were mechanically sound before embarking on journeys.
He also advised residents to report emergencies through Lagos State’s toll-free lines, 767 and 112.