It was a numbing sight, even from the.photo as an articulated truck conveying a 20ft container fell on a commercial bus at Ojuelegba, Lagos State on Sunday killing nine persons in the process.
Elsewhere at Soka bridge along the Lagos-Benin Highway another crash claimed 11 lives, spoiling the first day of the week for many who witnessed, heard and saw images of the two crashes.
Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said the truck lost control while ascending a bridge.
“Upon arrival at the scene, a truck conveying a 20ft container was found to have landed on top of a commercial bus.
“Investigation revealed that the bus was picking passengers when the truck lost control and fell over the side of the bridge.
“A total of nine fatalities were recovered, comprising four adult males, three adult females, a girl and a boy.
“After suspending the container load with the aid of LASEMA’s forklift, an adult woman was extricated alive and taken to the trauma centre,’’ he said.
Oke-Osanyintolu said LASEMA’s heavy-duty ambulance and Lagos State Fire Service were on hand for rescue operation, just as LASTMA and Nigeria Police were on ground to control traffic.
On its part, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) expressed concerns over frequent fatal crashes with its Corps Marshal, Dauda Ali Biu, worried over the fatal crashes.
Biu’s deep worries stem from the reoccurring container crashes on Ojuelegba bridge that has claimed several lives, he recommends the construction of barricades against articulated vehicles (Tankers, Trucks, Trailers and other heavy duty vehicles) on Ojuelegba Bridge as a permanent solution to the reoccurring crashes.
▪︎ Moment another truck flipped over in Lagos (undated)
On Soka Bridge (Lagos-Benin Expressway), he used the opportunity to caution commuters against route violation (popularly referred in the local parlance as ‘One Way’) as well as driving against prescribed legal speed limits on all roads.
According to preliminary investigation conducted into the fatal crashes, the Ojuelegba crash involved a Mack Truck with a 40ft container with the registration number KJA 380 KD, who apart from engaging in excessive speed, also indulged in an act of wrongful overtaking and a Suzuki mini bus registered as KTU 921 YD.
He said in a statement by Bisi Kazeem, Assistant Corps Marshal, Corps Public Education Officer, FRSC that the SOKA avoidable menace involved a Truck driven against traffic and a Macopolo Bus.
He explained that the container mounted on the Mack Truck at Ojuelegba, according to FRSC operatives, fell off the truck and landed on the Suzuki mini bus filled up with passengers which obviously led to the death of 9 of the passengers.
“As at the time of writing the statement, 11 victims were burnt beyond recognition at the SOKA Bridge while the Ojuelegba crash involved 13 people comprising of 9 males and 4 females. Out of the 13 people, 9 were killed comprising of 5 Male adults, 1 male child, 1 female child and 2 female adults.
“Out of the 4 victims who survived the Ojuelegba crash, 2 were rescued without injuries while the remaining 2 sustained various degrees of injuries”, he said.
The Corps Marshal who frowned at the incident explained the importance of barricading the bridge against articulated vehicles, citing that some of the dangers that come with their continuous use of the bridge as he calls for efforts to be made towards expanding the connecting roads under the bridge to accommodate all articulated vehicles.
He revealed that FRSC rescue teams in collaboration with other Emergency Management Agencies have cleared obstructions from the crash scenes for ease of movement while the driver of the Mack Truck has been arrested and handed over to the Police for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Also, he assured efforts are in top gear to arrest the driver that caused the SOKA bridge crash.
The Corps Marshal also reiterated the need for the enactment of laws that would bring justice to victims of these crashes and where such laws already exist, efforts should be made to activate them so that justice would be served accordingly to both the drivers and the victims.
He admonished the public to always patronize the FRSC toll free line 122 and the National Traffic Radio 107.1 FM which are always available for all road users to report emergencies at any given time