A string of accidents occurred along the Maryland axis in Lagos State on Sunday morning, resulting in the deaths of at least three individuals and leaving several others injured.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) acknowledged the fatalities in a statement released by Nosa Okunbor, the agency’s Head of Public Affairs.
According to Okunbor, the first accident occurred when a diesel-laden tanker had brake failure, colliding with numerous vehicles and killing three people.
An undetermined number of persons were injured.
Around 1:13 a.m., LASEMA’s response team arrived at the scene and discovered a second collision involving a container truck colliding with a MACK vehicle.
The container truck driver sustained a leg injury.
“The oil tanker, registration unknown, was fully loaded with diesel and reportedly suffered a brake failure while in motion, leading to a collision with multiple vehicles,” Okunbor recounted.
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He went on to say that the second incident, involving an articulated truck hauling a 40-foot container, was caused by reckless driving and speeding, resulting in even more traffic mayhem. Both the container and MACK truck were unregistered.
“Unfortunately, three fatalities were recorded, and several critically injured victims had already been transported to nearby hospitals before emergency teams arrived,” Okunbor said.
Two Volkswagen Vanagon buses, one Mitsubishi Space Bus, two minibuses (Korope), and a Honda automobile were among the vehicles involved.
Emergency responders, including LASEMA, the police, and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, secured the area by temporarily blocking the road and bridge to collect the vehicles and manage traffic disruptions.