New Telegraph

Scores escape death, as train, truck collide in Lagos

Scores of passengers yesterday escaped death in Lagos when a train collided with a truck loaded with animal feeds.

 

The accident occurred at Jonathan Coker Railway Level Crossing, Fagba, Iju-Ishaga, Lagos State.

 

The accident occurred about 6:30am, when the driver of the truck tried to cross the rail before the train could reach him. Unfortunately, the train crushed the truck. It was learnt that the rear part of the truck fell on a tricycle and it was badly crushed but the rider and passengers escaped.

 

 

However, the passengers in the train sustained varying degrees of injury as they were scampering for safety. Witnesses said the driver of the truck was trying to drive past the train not knowing the train was closer and crushed it from behind

 

A trader, Mr. Abdulahi Hassan, said he was just returning from the mosque when he heard the sound of the accident. Hassan said it was God who saved the truck driver.

 

According to him, had it been the train crushed the truck from the front, the driver would have died. He said: “Immediately after the incident, the truck driver escaped from the scene. Even when policemen came to inspect the level of the crash, the driver of the truck was nowhere to be found. The accident caused gridlock.

 

“Every time I always warn my brothers who trade close to the rail to desist from it because of the consequences. Many people have lost their lives due to carelessness of many drivers.”

 

Another resident, Muhammad Haruna, said some passengers, who were inside the train, sustained injuries when they were trying to escape from the train. He said: “Some of the passengers hit their heads on their chairs when the train collided with the truck. We also rescued some of them.”

 

The South West spokesperson for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, said no death was recorded in the accident.

Farinloye said immediately the NEMA officials received a distress call, they moved to the scene and cleared the road. He said: “The truck and the tricycle were pushed aside to allow easy access for vehicles.”

 

 

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