Eight Killed As Commercial Bus Collides With Truck In Lagos
Tragedy struck in the early hours of Sunday as a commercial bus collided with a DAF truck at Atura Bus Stop, inbound Badagry, Lagos, leaving eight people dead and several others injured.
It was gathered that the victims included the bus driver and his conductor, whose lives were lost instantly in what was described as a horrific crash.
Eyewitnesses reported that the bus was traveling at high speed before losing control and ramming into the truck.
The force of the impact was so severe that it left several occupants trapped, with emergency teams scrambling to rescue survivors.
Operatives of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), working alongside personnel from the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Nigeria Police (Morogbo Division), and soldiers from the 244 Battalion of the Nigerian Army (Ibereko Barracks), swiftly launched a rescue operation.
Eight other passengers were rescued alive but sustained varying degrees of injuries.
They were immediately taken to the General Hospital in Badagry for emergency treatment by an FRSC medical team.
The spokesperson of LASTMA, Adebayo Taofiq, confirmed the accident.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the driver of the commercial bus lost control while navigating at a perilously high speed, leading to a catastrophic collision with a DAF truck.
“The resultant impact was described as cataclysmic, leaving little chance for evasion or survival for several occupants of the bus,” Adebayo said in a statement.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, who visited the scene, expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives and extended condolences to the bereaved families. He also wished the injured a speedy recovery.
“This heart-wrenching incident is a painful reminder of the fragility of life and the urgent need for all road users to embrace caution. No journey should end in such tragedy. May the Almighty grant the deceased eternal rest and console those left behind,” Bakare-Oki, said.
Bakare-Oki issued a stern warning to commercial and heavy-duty vehicle operators, urging them to eschew excessive speeding, adhere strictly to safety protocols, and ensure regular maintenance of their vehicles to avoid unnecessary fatalities.
The general manager also revealed that the state government has begun installing speed-limiting devices at key accident-prone zones in a bid to curb reckless driving and reduce road fatalities.
“This regrettable loss of lives could have been avoided if the basic tenets of defensive driving and vehicular safety had been upheld. Speed remains a silent killer on our highways,” he added.
Eight Killed As Commercial Bus Collides With Truck In Lagos is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
