Over 24 passengers were confirmed to have sustained varying degrees of injuries after two Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses loaded with commuters collided near the Mangoro Bus Stop along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
The accident occurred along the BRT lane when two buses coming from opposite directions collided, resulting in significant damage to the commercial vehicles.
As gathered, most of the victims were reportedly on their way to work when the accident occurred at about 8 a.m. on Thursday.
Passersby and emergency responders were said to have swiftly intervened, helping to convey the victims to nearby health facilities for urgent medical attention.
It was gathered that both drivers sustained fatal injuries, with eyewitnesses reporting that one of them was trapped after being hit by the steering wheel, making it difficult to pull him out.
An eyewitness who spoke to our correspondent at the scene stated that the accident happened when one of the BRT buses heading toward Oshodi swerved to avoid an oncoming commercial bus that had entered the restricted corridor.
Another witness alleged that the commercial vehicle was being operated by members of the state task force who were pursuing a defaulting driver within the corridor, which ultimately led to the crash.
“I’m afraid for their lives because they were seriously injured. Most of them broke their legs, and I’m sure some might not survive the accident.
“It’s the taskforce operatives that caused this accident. The BRT was heading toward Oshodi, while the other was going toward Iyana Ipaja. Suddenly, a korope came from nowhere, driving opposite the BRT going to Oshodi. The korope was chasing another bus, and as the BRT tried to avoid it, it collided with the other BRT,” he alleged.
“I was sitting at the filling station along the road and witnessed everything that happened. The government should do something about the task force operations, they should be using their own buses,” the witness added.
Meanwhile, officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and other emergency responders later arrived at the scene to ease traffic congestion and remove the wrecked vehicles from the road.
LASTMA is expected to release an official statement on the exact cause of the crash and the safety measures being implemented within the BRT corridor.
MORE DETAILS COMING….
