THREE WOMEN DIE AS VEHICLES CRASH ON LAGOS-IBADAN EXPRESSWAY BRIDGE

Three women have lost their lives while 10 other people sustained varying degrees of injuries in a multiple-vehicle crash on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The accident occurred at about 5:24pm on Friday near Mikano on the Long Bridge, inward Lagos, according to the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency. The crash involved a white Toyota bus, a Toyota Corolla and a white Mazda bus, with 16 people reportedly involved in the incident.

TRACE spokesperson, Babatunde Akinbiyi, said 12 males and four females were involved in the crash, while the 10 injured victims comprised nine males and one female. The three deceased victims were all female adults. Preliminary accounts from eyewitnesses indicated that excessive speeding and loss of control caused one of the vehicles to somersault before plunging from the bridge into a ditch.

Emergency responders, including officials of TRACE, the Federal Road Safety Corps, the police and the Ogun State Ambulance and Emergency Service, were deployed to the scene to rescue victims and evacuate the damaged vehicles. Six injured passengers were taken to the Lagos State Accident and Emergency Service by the Ogun State ambulance team, while another injured person and a presumed dead victim were transported by an FRSC ambulance.

The deceased victims were taken to different morgues, with two deposited at the General Hospital, Ifo, while another presumed dead victim was taken to the Idera Hospital morgue in Sagamu. Other injured passengers were conveyed to A.Z. Hospital for medical treatment. The vehicle that plunged into the ditch was subsequently recovered and moved to the Warewa Police Station along with the other vehicles involved in the crash for further investigation.

The accident temporarily disrupted traffic on the busy expressway as rescue and recovery operations were carried out, but normal traffic flow was later restored. The incident comes less than two weeks after another multiple-vehicle crash around the Kara section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway reportedly claimed seven lives and left two others injured, highlighting continuing concerns over road safety and speeding along the major highway.