Ogun: Three die, pregnant woman injured, as bus rams into bridge

Three passengers lost their lives in an accident on Thursday after the bus they were travelling in reportedly suffered brake failure.

The accident happened around 1pm around the Alagbole area of Ogun state.

An 18-seater commercial bus with number plate AGL 725 XG was said to have rammed into an abandoned bridge after its brake failed.

14 passengers, including a pregnant woman, were reportedly injured in the crash. Eight of the victims were rushed to the Ifako-Ijaiye General Hospital.

Eye witnesses narrated that the driver first noticed the faulty break and stopped to fix it a few meters away from the bridge.

He however proceeded on the journey before he lost total control of the bus.

A woman, who suspected all was not well with the brake after the driver’s emergency fix, had reportedly requested to disembark shortly before the accident occurred.

“The driver thought the brake was in good condition after repairing it. The moment he took off from the bus stop, the vehicle raced uncontrollably downward the bridge. Except the woman that alighted, he and other passengers were injured. An elderly man broke his leg,” an Okada rider, Bolu Aremu told Punch.

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“They were trapped in the vehicle. Emergency workers had to cut through the iron seats to rescue them. One person died in one of the hospitals the victims were rushed to. A man bled from the eyes.”

A worker at the Ifako-Ijaiye General Hospital, said the victims “were referred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital because they had head injuries. Three went to the Gbagada General Hospital because they had multiple fractures. Two out of those that had head injuries died on the way to LASUTH and they had been transferred to the morgue.”

Some residents in the area called on the Ogun State government to finish the repair of the bridge in due time, so as to avoid further occurrences.

“Several vehicles have crashed into the bridge between January and now. If the bridge is completed on time, it will go a long way in reducing the crashes,” a resident, Ibrahim Tijani, said.