Two die, others injured in Lagos multiple accidents

An unidentified woman and a pregnant lady were said to have died in the multiple accidents which occurred close to Otedola Bridge, along the Alausa area of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Saturday.

A large number of people were also said to have sustained injuries in the accidents.

The accidents, which happened about three times, were as a result of a series of multiple collisions involving over 25 vehicles.

The first accident was said to have been caused by an NNPC tanker with number plate, XG 321 MKA.

The tanker was allegedly on top speed and had a brake failure.

It rammed into the vehicle in front. Eyewitnesses said the development led to further collisions as other vehicles, which had slowed down because of the traffic snarl on the expressway, ran into one another due to the impact of the tanker.

The driver was said to have also throw smaller vehicles off its way.

The collisions led to two cargo trucks being pushed off the road, while the advancing NNPC tanker dragged a Toyota Camry along until it was stopped by the two cargo vehicles, one of which had fallen.

When our correspondent visited the scene on Sunday, part of the bonnet of the Camry car was trapped under one of the cargo vehicles.

Shortly after the first accident, a saloon car which was waiting for the occupants to catch a glimpse of the accident scene was also said to have been hit by another vehicle from behind.

This also led to further collisions. A woman in the saloon car was said to have died instantly while others in the car, including two children sustained minor injuries.

An eyewitness, Mr. Amos Ogah, who was in one the cargo vehicles that was involved in the first accident, said, “We were from Victoria Island going to Calabar when we met a holdup here. We were moving slowly when the NNPC tanker suddenly hit some vehicles behind us.

“I was looking at the tanker through the mirror and I could see that the driver had lost control.

“After the accident, a Toyota Hiace bus and a salon car which were waiting for their occupants to have a look at the scene of the accident were hit by another jeep. This also led to further collisions.”

According to Ogah, more than 10 vehicles were involved in the collisions.

Some hours later, a speeding truck belonging to Seven-Up Bottling Company also rammed into vehicles in the gridlock which had extended far behind the first accident scene.

More than 15 vehicles which were affected skidded off the road and stopped about some feet away from a ditch along the expressway.

At the scene of the third accident, which was about 100meters away from the scene of the earlier ones, were nine vehicles, including the Seven-Up truck and a Toyota Hiace.

A victim, Mrs. Kunbi Tuaklilawson, who escaped the third accident unhurt, but with her Lexus jeep badly damaged, said she was held up in the traffic jam till around 10pm when she suddenly heard a big bang behind her. Read more