Six people have died after an accident involving a train and a BRT bus in Lagos, the state government has announced.
A BRT bus carrying Lagos State government officials collided with an oncoming train at the PWD rail crossing in the Shogunle area of the state on Thursday morning. The bus, number 33, on its way to Alausa from Isolo, took a wrong turn on the PWD rail crossing through Shogunle and crashed into an oncoming train.
It carried eighty-five passengers, many civil servants and a few dependents. Two people died at the scene while four died at the hospital.
There were 42 moderate injuries, 29 serious injuries and eight minor injuries. 25 people were treated and transferred to Gbagada General Hospital, Agege General Hospital and trauma center at toll gate.
The state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, ordered three days of mourning. Flags will be flown at half-mast and civil servants will be working half-day today.
Sanwo-Olu spoke at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) when he visited to assess the situation and commiserate with victims. He also cancelled all public engagements and campaigns.
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Sanwo-Olu said: “This is a very sober time for us as a government, and while we acknowledge God as the giver of life, the one who determines every man’s destiny, it saddens when we have incidents like this.
“The fatal accident happened at the rail crossing around PWD in the Shogunle area. I believe they were coming from the express and needed a right turn, and wanted to drag over the rail. It is not yet clear what happened, but it seems like a wrong judgement by the driver.
“I also learnt he has turned himself to the police, and so investigations will determine what actually went wrong. We would also reach out to the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) to give their own account of what transpired so we can have full information.
“We haven’t informed any family members yet because these are civil servants that were going to work so we cannot begin to disclose names until when families have been contacted. Of the number of injured persons, 25 were treated very quickly an transferred to the Gbagada General Hospital, Agege General Hospital and the trauma centre at toll gate so this place can be decongested and proper profiling of injuries can be done.
“There will be half day of work tomorrow (today) so we can jointly mourn our staff, our loved ones, and the dead can be buried. Flags will also fly at half-mast for the next three days, and we are also declaring a three-day state mourning for the deceased.”
Sanwo-Olu hailed Lagosians who joined the first responders in the search and rescue operation, saying the true spirit of Lagos must be sustained at all times. He commended the first responders, LASUTH and LASUCOM staffs and security agencies for their prompt response.
“A big thank you to well meaning Lagosians who immediately joined in rescue efforts. Our first responders and emergency services are on ground and we will share more information shortly,” he said.
The governor also hailed candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Jide Adeniran and Labour Party Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour for visiting and commiserating with the families, saying ‘it is important to thank two of my other competitors – Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and Mr. Olajide Adeniran, who I learnt were here earlier, for their show of commitment beyond politics. I thank them for coming here.”
According to Sanwo-Olu, the state has the capacity to tackle emergencies, said investigation is ongoing and regular updates will be given as necessary. He also enjoined people to voluntarily donate blood to help LASUTH restock its blood bank.
