18 Passengers, Driver, Motorboy Die in Lagos Auto Crash

Chiemelie Ezeobi

It was a black Sunday in the Badagry area of Lagos State  yesterday as an 18-seater commercial bus filled with party goers crashed, killing all passengers onboard, including the driver and his motor boy.

The passengers were said to have  chartered the commercial bus from Yaba to attend a ceremony in the Republic of Benin.

Barely an hour after they departed the park, the freak accident happened at Age-Mowo on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, killing all onboard.

Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Taofeeq Adebayo said the Mazda commercial bus collided with a truck loaded with sand.

He said: “The driver of the commercial bus lost control when he saw a truck ahead of him while trying to overtake the tipper truck loaded with sand.

“In the tragic accident, 20 people died including the 18 passengers alongside the commercial bus driver and his motor boy.”

As at press time, the spokesperson said the remains of the victims have been taken to the Badagry General Hospital morgue.

Meanwhile, to ensure free flow of traffic along that axis, the agencies involved  quickly cleared the road, especially as the morning rain tried to impede rescue operations.

While commiserating with families  of the deceased persons, the spokesperson said they could  identify their loved ones at the Badagry morgue.