Two women, on Thursday morning, were confirmed killed and several others injured when a Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) blue line collided with a train in Lagos.
The accident occurred around 7am at the PWD railway crossing near Ikeja GRA.
Reports say the bus, which was navigating inward Ikeja, attempted to cross the railway before the train coming from Abeokuta got closer but it was trapped by the train’s magnets.
Most occupants of the bus were said to be civil servants going to work.
The accident caused panic among commuters as people paused their journey to offer assistance.
Lagos State Police Publiec Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that there was an accident involving a train and a BRT bus.
He did not give details of the casualty figure, saying that their traffic officers are making efforts to establish what really transpired.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) also confirmed the accident, adding that all occupants have been evacuated and efforts on to remove the wreckage of the bus from the rail line.
NEMA’s Lagos Office Coordinator, Ibrahim Farinloye, said that two female employees of the State Government died in the accident.
“Two adult female staff of the State Government dead and several injured evacuated. 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.
“Two Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) flag officers reportedly tried to stop the driver of the bus from crossing but it was said that the driver ignored the directive and drove into the rail.
“The operations are ongoing; search and Rescue concluded.
Removal of the carcass of the bus is ongoing,” Farinloye said.