By Marvellous Nyang
Three people were confirmed dead and 82 others injured as a train crushed a Lagos State staff bus early morning on Thursday, March 9, 2023.
It was a black day for the residents of Lagos State, as they woke up to learn of the gory incident.
The unfortunate accident occurred at PWD Bus Stop in the state’s capital city, Ikeja, as a moving train rammed into a state bus conveying civil servants to work.
The three persons confirmed dead by emergency responders and 82 others injured were rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja, while the bus has been evacuated.
Spokesperson of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Adebayo Taofiq, speaking on the incident said the bus involved in the crash was the same as the regular BRT buses in Lagos, but it was a staff bus of the Lagos State government.
Similarly, a spokesperson for the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Nosa Okunbor who confirmed the casualty figures, said, “two adult females and one male staff of the State Government lost their lives in the crash and 82 others injured and evacuated to LASUTH.”
ALSO READ: INEC postpones governorship, state houses of assembly elections
“The State Government staff bus was trying to cross the PWD/Sogunle rail crossing while the train coming into Lagos from Abeokuta trapped the bus on its rail.”
Recalled a similar incident was recorded in December 2022 when a passenger train from Kaduna to Abuja crushed a middle-aged woman to death on the rail track around the Kubwa area of Nigeria’s seat of government, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Meanwhile, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has visited the accident victims at LASUTH, expressing his sadness over the unfortunate train-bus collision.
He said: “I am deeply saddened by the news of the train/bus accident . The vehicle was conveying staff of the Lagos state government, our staff who serve the state in different capacities,” the governor said in a statement.
“Let’s say a prayer for the families and a prayer of mercy and protection for our state. My thoughts are with the victims and their families during this difficult time.”
