…I sold food to driver mins before death – Vendor
Three people have been confirmed dead after piles of plywood fell off a truck on the Ojuelegba Bridge, Lagos State, on Tuesday.
It was learned that officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) rounded off rescue operations around 4am on Wednesday.
A source said two people had been recovered dead before one of those rescued alive also died.
“Three people died in the accident. The truck did not fall as some are reporting. It was the plywood that fell from the truck on the bridge, probably due to overloading. The corpses have been deposited in a morgue, while the injured are receiving treatment in a hospital,” she said.
The General Manager of LASEMA, Adeshina Tiamiyu, would soon release a statement on the incident.
Our correspondent had reported that the truck conveying the plywood had an accident on the Ojuelegba Bridge around 8pm on Tuesday.
The truck, which tilted sideways, emptied piles of plywood on commuters and motorists under the bridge, killing the victims.
Around 9pm on Tuesday, a truck laden with piles of plywood fell off a bridge at Ojuelegba, Lagos, and landed on commercial buses better known as Danfo.
When TheCable visited the scene of the accident yesterday, street sweepers were seen dumping the broken piles wood under the bridge to clear way for traffic. Officials of the Lagos State Transportation Management Authority (LASTMA) were also sighted controlling traffic.
Witnesses said the three victims who died were the driver of the commercial bus, the conductor and a passenger.
Meanwhile, a food vendor at the scene said the driver of one the buses involved in the accident bought food from her minutes before his death.
According to her, the incident could have claimed more victims but for the fact that the ill-fated vehicle just started loading when the incident happened; so, only a passenger had entered. The driver of the Mushin-bound bus was simply identified as Aro.
“When the incident happened, there was still traffic on the road. I saw a pregnant woman and her child alighting from a bus at that spot. The driver of one of the buses involved in the accident just bought food from me. In fact, when he finished eating, he asked me about his balance and I told him he had N30 left. He nodded and walked into the bus. But a few seconds later, we heard the loud noise of the planks descending from the bridge. He, his conductor and a passenger did not make it out alive,” the dark-skinned woman said.
One of the bystanders claimed that the truck was stopped at Ijora axis by policemen for overloading and was advised against climbing the bridge before it was released. Few minutes later, it ascended the bridge and tilted before discharging the piles of plywood off the bridge.
The Cable photojournalist who attempted to take pictures of the scene was challenged by hoodlums, while he was warned not to take further pictures.
