Nigerian bus crashes into train; 6 dead and dozens injured
Six people were killed and dozens injured when a train crashed into a passenger bus in Lagos, Nigeria
ABUJA, Nigeria — Six people were killed and dozens injured when a train crashed into a bus in Lagos, Nigeria on Thursday, the emergency response agency said.
The bus was taking government staff to work when it collided with the intra-city train in the Ikeja neighborhood of Lagos, said Ibrahim Farinloye, head of Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency in the ‘State.
“So far, 84 people have been rescued alive and taken to hospital… (and) the total number of deaths to date is six, including those who died in hospital,” Farinloye said. All of those injured were from the bus, no one on the train was injured, he said.
Train and truck accidents are common in many Nigerian cities where traffic rules are generally not obeyed, local residents say. They are a serious problem in Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city and commercial hub, despite tough penalties introduced by authorities in recent years to try to curb accidents.
The bus driver involved in Thursday’s accident disobeyed traffic lights, said Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency. According to Oke-Osanyintolu, the immediate cause of the incident was the bus driver’s reckless driving during which he tried to beat the traffic light before the train hit him.
Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said he was deeply saddened by the news and called for blood donations. “Let’s say a prayer for families and a prayer of mercy and protection for our state,” he tweeted.
___
Associated Press reporter Dan Ikpoyi in Lagos, Nigeria, contributed.
ABC News
