At least 10 people sustained varying degrees of injuries following a severe multi-vehicle crash on Third Mainland Bridge during the Wednesday morning rush hour, whilst emergency responders simultaneously averted a catastrophic rail disaster at the Ilupeju rail crossing.
The dual emergencies disrupted morning commutes across the commercial capital but were swiftly managed through the coordinated intervention of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA).
According to an official incident brief released by LASEMA, the crash on Third Mainland Bridge was triggered when a commercial passenger bus developed a mechanical fault and pulled over in an active traffic lane to replace a punctured tyre. As the roadside repair was underway, a second commercial bus travelling at high speed ploughed directly into the stationary vehicle. Moments later, an oncoming trailer truck rammed into the rear of the second bus, with the truck driver fleeing the scene on foot immediately after the impact to evade arrest.
LASEMA paramedics and search-and-rescue teams arrived at the scene to triage the victims, administering emergency first aid before conveying all 10 injured passengers to nearby healthcare facilities for comprehensive medical attention. Recovery crews deployed heavy towing apparatus to remove the mangled commercial buses and the abandoned articulated truck, successfully reopening the corridor to relieve morning gridlock.
While emergency operations were underway on the lagoon corridor, a separate, critical incident unfolded along the Ilupeju Bypass railway crossing. Another commercial bus suffered sudden mechanical failure, becoming completely immobilised directly across the live tracks minutes before a scheduled train was due to traverse the sector.
A rapid response unit from LASEMA reached the location with specialised recovery equipment, safely latching onto the disabled bus with a light recovery vehicle and pulling it off the tracks moments before the passenger train arrived, averting a mass-casualty collision and derailment.
Reacting to both occurrences, LASEMA issued a firm advisory cautioning commercial and private motorists against carrying out roadside vehicular repairs on highways, expressways, and bridges. The agency stressed that vehicle maintenance must be conducted off public transit lanes, urging drivers to ensure mechanical roadworthiness before setting out and to promptly notify emergency authorities of active road obstructions via the state’s toll-free shortcodes, 767 or 112.
