Two drown in Lagos Lagoon

Two passengers reportedly fell into the Lagoon on Wednesday after a commercial bus crashed on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State.

The National Daily learnt that other occupants of the vehicle sustained varying degrees of injuries from the accident.

The Lagos Territorial Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency, Ibrahim Farinloye, in a statement, noted that the driver of the 18-seater bus, who was speeding, swerved off the road and collided with the bridge rails.

He stated that the impact of the crash forcefully pushed the two passengers off the bus into the Lagoon, adding that the victims, adult male and female, were being searched for by the Marine Police.

“Personnel of the Marine Police were searching for the two passengers, a male and female, who fell off the vehicle. The injured have been evacuated to a nearby hospital,” Farinloye added.

The spokesperson for the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Adebayo Taofiq, while also confirming the incident in a statement, disclosed that 18 seriously injured passengers were rescued by officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority from Zone 1, Lagos Island.

He added that the driver of the vehicle fled the scene of the accident.

“Policemen from Adeniji Adele Police Station provided security backup during the rescue of 18 seriously injured passengers by LASTMA officials.

“LASTMA Ojo-Oniyun Olamide (One Alpha, Zone 1 Lagos Island) who led the recovery operations confirmed that his team immediately evacuated the LT commercial bus off the road for unhindered vehicular movement towards the Adeniji Adele area of Lagos Island,” Taofiq stated.

He also confirmed that the Marine rescue team was inside the Lagoon on a search and rescue mission.

When contacted late Wednesday, NEMA boss, Farinloye, told newsmen that search and rescue efforts were still underway.