A moving train and a bus carrying employees of the Lagos State government collided yesterday in the Shogunle neighborhood of Ikeja, Lagos, leaving no less than seven people confirmed dead and several others injured.
One of the accident survivors, just known as Titilayo, said they urged the bus driver to wait for the train to pass, but he refused.
“I boarded the staff bus while traveling to work this morning,” a middle-aged female employee of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, Ikeja, who suffered injuries to her lower limbs, said (yesterday).
Around 7.15 am, the incident took place. The driver kept going after we arrived at the PWD crossroads in Ikeja.
“I asked him to wait for the train to pass before crossing the street with other passengers in the bus, but he wouldn’t listen.
Halfway, the disaster occurred just as he was about to complete crossing the rail tracks. When five of us were sent to Gbagada General Hospital, many of us were rushed here.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC, has been urged to place iron bars at railway level crossings to prevent trains from colliding with vehicles by Lagos State Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Babatunde Farinloye.
Musa Hayatou, a Sogunle local, described what he saw at the accident scene and stated: “From what I saw, so far, two people perished on the spot.
“While several of them were extricated from the tragic bus, some of them were badly hurt, and their survival will depend entirely on the grace of God. Those of the patients who had fractured bones were taken right away to the hospital.
“I’m unsure if any more people have passed away. One more victim was struck by a big stone. Before being eventually carried away by representatives of the Lagos State Emergency Agency, or LASEMA, I’m not sure if he was still alive or not.
“I believe the driver is at blame since a train starts to horn from a mile away before it approaches a level crossing, and if you are a decent driver, you should be aware of the loud horn alerting others.
This is the first time a train and a BRT bus have collided in this location. Nonetheless, accidents involving BRT buses and other cars frequently occur at bus stops.
The number of fatalities has risen to seven, according to reports from the hospitals where the crash victims were rushed.