At least 15 persons have been killed in a road accident that occurred along the Badagry-Ijanikin road, Lagos.
The crash, it was gathered, happened around 7:31am, at Age-Mowo while it rained heavily in most parts of Lagos State.
It was learnt that the accident involved a truck with registration number AKM926YQ and Mazda L2000 Bus marked MUS411XU.
The bus was said to have been chartered at Yaba by persons going for a party in Benin Republic and was loaded to its full capacity.
According to the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), 24 people were involved in the unfortunate road crash.
A statement by the Lagos sector command’s Public Education Officer, PEO, Superintendent Route Commander Olabisi Sonusi, confirmed 15 people comprising nine male adults, five female adults and a female child were killed. She said 14 people died at the scene and were so confirmed at the hospital while another person who was rushed to the hospital later passed on.
“Nine people sustained varying degree of serious injuries ( five males, four females), one of them was reported to have later passed on at the hospital, 14 were brought in dead from the crash scene.
“The injured victims are currently receiving treatment at the General Hospital, Badagry. The dead victims have since been deposited at the morgue in the same hospital,” she said.
Sonusi said the Sector Commander, Babatunde Farinloye, commiserated with the families of the deceased and urged them to visit the hospital for necessary action.
Describing the accident as avoidable, Farinloye, said it could have been avoided if common sense and defensive driving techniques were deployed.
“It was reported that the crash occured as a result of speeding and overtaking by the drivers, who were moving on opposite direction.
“This he said, resulted in loss of control and head on collision on the parts of the affected vehicles,” said Sonusi.
But the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) said all 20 occupants of the bus including the driver and his motorboy died.
Spokesman for LASTMA, Taofik Adebayo, said the bus driver lost control when he saw a truck ahead of him as he attempted to overtake a sand-laden tipper.
He said,
“In the tragic accident, 20 people died including the 18 passengers alongside the commercial bus driver and his motorboy.”
As at press time, the spokesperson said the remains of the victims have been taken to the Badagry General Hospital morgue.
