Three women were killed while 10 others sustained varying degrees of injuries when a vehicle plunged from the Long Bridge on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and landed in a ditch on Friday.
The accident occurred at about 5:24 p.m. near Mikano on the Long Bridge, inward Lagos, according to the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE).
The agency’s spokesperson, Babatunde Akinbiyi, who confirmed the incident in a statement, said three vehicles were involved in the crash. They were a white Toyota bus with registration number KJA 247 YM, a white Toyota Corolla marked BDG 867 HG and a white Mazda bus with registration number AGL 891 XX.
Akinbiyi said 16 people, comprising 12 males and four females, were involved in the crash, adding that 10 people, nine males and one female, sustained injuries, while three female adults died.
He attributed the crash to excessive speeding and loss of control, based on accounts from eyewitnesses.
According to him, the vehicle somersaulted before plunging into the ditch.
Following the incident, rescue teams from TRACE, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the police and the Ogun State Ambulance and Emergency Service mobilised to the scene to evacuate the victims.
Akinbiyi disclosed that six injured passengers were taken to the Lagos State Accident and Emergency Service by the Ogun State Ambulance and Emergency Service, while another injured victim and a presumed dead passenger were evacuated by an FRSC ambulance.
He added that two of the deceased were deposited at the General Hospital, Ifo, morgue, while another presumed dead victim was taken to the Idera Hospital morgue in Sagamu.
Other injured victims were reportedly taken to A.Z. Hospital by the FRSC for medical attention.
The TRACE spokesperson said the vehicle that plunged into the ditch was recovered and moved to Warewa Police Station alongside the other vehicles involved in the crash for further investigation.
The accident caused temporary disruption to traffic flow along the expressway during the rescue and evacuation operations. Normal traffic movement was, however, restored after the operation.
The crash occurred barely days after another fatal accident on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. On August 25, seven people were reportedly killed while two others sustained injuries in a multiple-vehicle crash around the Kara area of the highway.
The Federal Road Safety Corps had said the earlier incident involved a white HOWO CNG/CIMC ENRIC truck, a white MACK trailer and a Mitsubishi Canter with registration number JJJ920YA.
