Seven persons were burnt to death on Sunday around 2:45pm in a bus accident at Iyana-Oworo, close to the Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos State.
The speeding bus, a Mazda, was en route to Ajah from Oshodi when the driver ran into a culvert close to the bridge.
An eye witness who spoke to newsmen said, “The bus was coming from Oshodi but did not keep to the lane connecting to Iyana-Oworo. So, by the time it got to the Y-junction, the driver tried to join the lane. But suddenly, a vehicle obstructed him by the side and he swerved back, hit the culvert and the tyre burst. Since he was at top speed, the vehicle fell on its side and caught fire.”
According to reports, firefighters who tried to rescue the situation after some of the victims have been confirmed dead were attacked by the aggrieved crowd around the vicinity.
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The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency(LASEMA), Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, who spoke about the incident said, “Investigation gathered at the scene revealed that the incident occurred due to recklessness and speeding by the driver, which resulted in the fire with 12 passengers trapped. Fortunately, the driver escaped with some burns, three female adults were rescued and rushed to the Gbagada General Hospital, while a male adult was attended to by LASAMBUS at the scene. Unfortunately, seven victims were burnt to death (four females, two male adults and one male child).”