Nine dead, many injured in accidents

Multiple vehicle crash   •Train hits truck

Nine persons were confirmed dead yesterday and many others injured in rail and road crashes.

Five people died and 19 sustained injuries in multiple accidents involving 15 vehicles at Kara Bridge, on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

Four hangers-on were crushed when a train hit a truck at Abbatoir in Agege.

The accident at Kara that occurred around 7am caused  a traffic gridlock for several hours.

Operatives of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and soldiers were at the scene.

The Nation gathered that a vehicle lost control and crashed into another; others smashed into one another in quick succession.

The vehicles included a MAN Diesel marked JJJ342XD, DAF trucks – APP769XR and GGE818XC, two Sino trucks – KRD122XC and KRD123XC, a Mack truck – BDG561XG, a Nissan Cabster – XS216KSF, two Honda Accord cars – MUS411DG and APP303DV, Lexus Jeep – FKJ 475BR, Volkswagen bus – KTU594XM, Ford Bus – KTU340XU, Mazda Bus – AKD520XW and Nissan Bus – BDG27AA.

LASEMA’s General Manager Adesina Tiamiyu, who was at the scene, said: “The multiple accidents involved 15 vehicles, comprising seven trucks, a pick-up, three cars and four buses.

“Five lives were lost and 19 adults – 11 males and eight females – sustained various degrees of injuries.”

In the Agege accident, it was gathered that the train hit a truck marked MYM63XA, which attempted to make a turn on the rail track.

The four men who died were said to be hanging on the train. They fell during the collision. Those who sustained injuries were treated by the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS).

Commissioner for Special Duties, Oluseye Oladejo led emergency responders, including LASEMA, LASAMBUS, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Lagos Neighbourhood and Safety Corps (LNSC), Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the police to the Agege accident scene.

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC’s) Lagos District Manager, Mr Jerry Ochei, said the trailer was hit by the train while reversing, killing and injuring  passengers that were hanging on the train.

“Police assisted in evacuating the injured and the dead. The train did not derail. It continue and arrived its destination at Iddo safe,” he said.

Tiamiyu urged motorists to adhere to road safety rules, noting that people who hang on moving trains/vehicles should desist to avoid reoccurrence.