Four people have been killed and six others injured after a container-laden truck overturned onto a passenger bus on Berger Bridge along the Ibeju-Lekki Expressway in Lagos State.
The accident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday when the truck, conveying a 20-foot container, collided with a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number GME-589 ZU.
The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, disclosed the incident in a statement on Wednesday.
According to him, preliminary investigations indicated that the truck was travelling uphill on the bridge at excessive speed when it collided with the bus.
He said the truck driver reportedly lost control while attempting to avoid the collision, causing the truck to overturn onto the passenger vehicle.
“The impact was severe and tragically resulted in the loss of four adult males who were confirmed dead at the scene, while six other adult males sustained varying degrees of injuries,” Oke-Osanyintolu stated.
He said emergency responders from LASEMA, working alongside officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Nigeria Police Force, secured the scene and administered first aid to the injured victims.
The injured passengers were subsequently evacuated to Epe General Hospital for medical treatment.
Oke-Osanyintolu added that a private crane was secured to recover the overturned truck and container and facilitate the safe removal of the bodies of the deceased.
He noted that recovery operations were ongoing, while traffic management measures had been introduced to ensure safety along the affected road corridor.
The Lagos State Government commiserated with the families of the deceased and wished the injured victims a speedy recovery.
Two Other Truck Accidents Reported
In a related development, LASEMA reported two other road accidents involving trucks in different parts of Lagos on Wednesday.
The first occurred near Vetland School, inward Agege Pen Cinema, along Old Abeokuta Road, at about 4.09am.
According to the agency, a truck with registration number KTU-940XT 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 crash damaged the streetlight pole and the front section of the truck, prompting traffic diversion to prevent further accidents and ease congestion.
The truck was later recovered using LASEMA’s heavy-duty recovery equipment and taken to Abattoir Police Station for investigation and safekeeping. The road was subsequently cleared and reopened to traffic.
The second incident involved a DAF truck and a Toyota Corolla at Lanre Bus Stop, inward Igando, along LASU-Igando Road.
Oke-Osanyintolu 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.
Although no death was recorded, 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.
The agency urged motorists to observe speed limits, avoid driving against traffic and making reckless manoeuvres, and ensure their vehicles were mechanically sound before embarking on journeys.
It also advised residents to report emergencies through the state’s toll-free lines, 767 and 112.
