By Mary BASSEY, Senior Investigator Correspondent Lagos/
LAGOS-TEN persons whose identities are yet to be known yesterday, lost their lives in ghastly motor accident involving a Toyota Sienna commercial vehicle and a parked articulated truck somewhere at Iyana-Iba along the Lagos-Badagry expressway. Three others were said to be seriously wounded in the accident. Sourceswho said the passengers in the Toyota Sienna bus were from the Easter part of the country blamed the cause of accident to over speeding on the part of the Toyota Sienna bus adding that it rammed onto the parked truck which wrongly parked and almost covered the entire expressway.
Nosa Okunbor, the image maker of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency LASEMA who confirmed the accident said the dead persons have been deposited at the mortuary while the seriously injured ones were responding to treatment at the hospital. He said, “On arrival at the scene of the road traffic accident at Abule Osun, inward Iyana Iba, along Lagos-Badagry Expressway, it was discovered that a Toyota Sienna bus, registration number BDG 342 FS, laden to capacity with passengers from the Eastern part of the country was involved in a road accident with a parked SHACMAN truck, registration number unknown Further investigations revealed that the truck, which was laden with granite, was parked on the road shutting down about half of the carriage way, while the Toyota Sienna on top speed, unknowingly crashed into the parked truck from behind.
“Ten people lost their lives to the unfortunate incident, while three were criticalIy injured. The dead passengers includes; 3 male adults, 4 female adults, 2 female children and 1 male child. The injured passengers reportedly rescued and taken to a nearby hospital by officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps, (FRSC) before arrival of the Agency’s LRT at the scene of incident includes; 1 female adult and 2 children (male and female) The accidental Toyota Sienna was recovered with the aid of Agency’s Lite Tow Truck and towed to the FRSC station. Agency involved in the rescue operation include; Agency’s Response Team (LRT), LASAMBUS, LASG Fire and Rescue Service, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Officials of the Nigerian Police Force and SEHMU. The 10 commodities have been bagged awaiting arrival of the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit, SEHMU, for evacuation of the commodities.”