BUS/TRAIN ACCIDENT: Death toll hits six

CITIZENS COMPASS– THE death toll of the victims of the bus/train accident in PWD area of Lagos State has hit six as at at the afternoon of Thursday, March 9, 2023.

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu disclosed this shortly after his visit to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, where the victims were undergoing medical treatment.

The Governor seized the opportunity to call for blood donation towards the recovery of the victims.

The Governor who lamented that the incident was avoidable has also suspended his campaign for three days to mourn the victims.

Sanwo-Olu disclosed this on his Twitter handle on Thursday, March 9, 2023.

He said he has since visited the victims at LASUTH on Ikeja where they are receiving medical attention.

Death toll

Giving the classification of the victims, he said 85 passengers were on board the bus with six deaths, 42 moderate injuries, 29 serious and 8 mild injuries according to the LASUTH classification scale.

“I was at LASUTH to understand the condition of the victims of the bus/train accident.

“The team at LASUTH expertly setup an outdoor triage centre which has contributed in saving lives, speeding up injury level profiling and supporting immediate critical action.

“This was a totally avoidable incident that simply required patience and the need to follow proper transportation protocol.

“There were 85 pax on board the bus with 6 deaths, 42 moderate injuries, 29 serious and 8 mild injuries according to the LASUTH classification scale.

“Lagos is in a state of mourning and for the next 3 days, I am suspending all campaign activities. All flags will be flown at half mast and tomorrow all civil servants will work till 12 noon before returning home to be with their loved ones during this trying time.

“It is still a critical period for some of the patients as we continue to call for blood donations across different state government medical facilities.

“This is a call for our humanity to rise above all. I also thank LASEMA, the security agencies, staff and students of LASUTH.”

Railway Corporation reacts

The Managing Director, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Fidet Okhiria, has narrated his own side to the reports of train/bus collision at PWD bus-stop, Lagos.

He disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, March 9, 2023.

“The Managing Director, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Fidet Okhiria, has narrated the position of his organization about the the train/bus collision in Lagos.

Citizens Compass reports that a moving train collided with a Marcopolo bus, a Lagos State Government staff bus on the rail track at PWD bus-stop area, off Lagos/Abeokuta Expressway in Lagos.

Açcording to National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), three persons have been confirmed dead while 84 persons were injured.

Okhiria said: “According to the information I gathered at the scene of the incident, they said many cars stopped when they got to the level crossing while the Lagos State Staff Bus driver continued moving, which I don’t know why.

“Maybe the driver thought he could pass before the train got nearer to him. He could not pass, then the train crushed the bus; that is what we gathered.

“The train was coming from Ijoko to Iddo”.

He urged Lagos drivers to be more careful when passing through the level crossing, to avoid train accidents.

The Managing Director, who was concerned about the lives of the Lagos State staff, appealed to motorists to consider the level crossing at all times.

Okhiria said that when motorists get to the level crossing, they should not ignore the point where they should stop.

The Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Taofiq, Adebayo, had said in a statement that a Lagos State Government staff bus was crushed by a moving train at PWD, Ikeja.

Adebayo said that the staff bus was with registration no 04A- 48LA, and the enforcement officers of LASTMA were the first emergency responders at the scene of the accident.

He disclosed they had called other emergency responders to join in the rescue.

According to him, the accident recorded some casualties as the staff bus was fully loaded with govt staff going to office in the morning.