Two separate road accidents involving trucks in southern Nigeria killed 20 people, including children, authorities said on Sunday, and many victims were burned beyond recognition.
In Lagos , a truck carrying a heavy container landed on a commercial bus on a busy bridge in the city ‘s Ojuelegba area, said Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu of the Lagos Emergency Response Agency. State in a statement.
“Further investigations revealed that the bus was picking up passengers when the truck lost control and fell over the side of the bridge ,” he added. Only one woman survived , while nine passengers, including two children, died in the accident, he added.
Residents quickly gathered at the scene within minutes of the truck crashing onto the bus, but none of the passengers were able to get out under the weight of the 20ft container until authorities arrived with rescue tools. rescue, about an hour later.
Earlier on Sunday, another truck collided with a bus in the Odigbo town council area of Ondo state , near Lagos , killing all passengers on board, the security agency said. road in Nigeria.
Road accidents
“Eleven people were burned beyond recognition” in the accident, which occurred early in the morning and was blamed on reckless driving, according to Richard Adetoro of the road safety agency. “As it was a fire, people couldn’t rush to the scene until the firefighters arrived” .
Road accidents are common in many parts of Nigeria where roads are in poor condition and traffic laws are generally not obeyed. They are worse in Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, where trucks and other heavy vehicles often use the same routes as commuters.
Authorities have been unable to stem the crashes despite policies they have put in place to make the roads safer. According to experts, this is due to the non-enforcement of road traffic rules and the poor condition of many roads in Nigeria.
Source: africanews.com
