Safety Bureau opens investigation into train, BRT bus accident in Lagos, as six confirmed dead
Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), formerly the Accident Investigation Bureau in Nigeria (AIB-Nigeria), has opened investigations into Thursday morning’s accident involving a train and a BRT bus deployed as staff vehicle of Lagos State Government which occurred at the PWD bus stop along the Agege Motor Road.
The NSIB is a multimodal investigation agency charged with the mandate to investigate transportation accidents and serious incidents in Nigeria with the aim of identifying the probable causes and proffer safety recommendations that can prevent recurrence.
After ramming into the staff bus, the train reported dragged the wreckage with its passengers for about 500 meters along the rail tracks before coming to a stop.
Scores of the bus’ passengers were injured, even as unconfirmed report claims up to six persons died in the deadly accident which occurred as the fully-loaded staff bus was rammed into by the speeding locomotive approaching from Agege.
According to NSIB, its personnel have commenced investigations into the accident involving the Lagos-Abeokuta shuttle train service operated by the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) with registration number 2215 and a Lagos State Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) staff bus with the registration number 04A-48LA.
According to eye witness account, the moving train rammed into the BRT bus, which was attempting to cross the rail line despite train traffic signal, and warning from the train traffic controller.
First responders at the accident site have evacuated the bus and the train.
“This accident investigation marks the first train accident investigation embarked upon by the Bureau since its establishment under the NSIB Act 2022.
“The NSIB, hereby, solicits information from the general public in form of pictures, video or recording evidences to assist in conducting a comprehensive investigation.
“The Bureau can be reached through info@aib.gov.ng and aib Nigeria on its social media platforms. The Bureau can also be reached on its emergency line +234-807-709-0909,” said the agency, Thursday.
Eyewitness account claim the train rammed into the rear end of the bus which was attempting to hurriedly cross the rail line into the Ikeja GRA area despite the driver spotting the locomotive approaching at full speed from close by.
The accident which caused a gridlock on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway stretching into the connecting Agege Motor road resulted in many passengers on the staff bus sustaining bloodied body parts and requiring hospitalization.
According to another eyewitness account, the staff bus filed workers of the State Government was trying to cross while the train was close by in motion.
“The magnet on the train held the bus, as the train rammed into it and dragged it from the PWD bus stop to Shogunle bus stop where it finally stopped, a distance of over 500 metres.”
The eyewitness blamed the bus driver for stubbornness and impatience for insisting on crossing the rail line even after seeing the train approaching.
State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who visited the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja, while giving first-hand information, said two persons died at the scene of the accident while four gave up the ghost at the hospital.
He said 85 passengers were involved in all, 42 with moderate injuries, 29 with serious injuries while eight have mild injuries.
Spokesperson for the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Nosa Okunbor, said over 82 others injured were evacuated to Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).
“The State Government staff bus was trying to cross the PWD/Sogunle rail crossing while the train coming into Lagos from Abeokuta trapped the bus on its rail,” he added.
During his visit to LASUTH, Governor Sanwo-Olu, who confirmed that the victims are mostly civil servants of the state, described the incident as unfortunate.
