Tragedy struck on Thursday as eight people lost their lives in a series of truck collisions that occurred on Kara Bridge, inward Mowe, along Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
Gatekeepers News reports that the fatal incidents caused severe traffic congestion and chaos around the Kara axis, extending to connecting routes.
According to an update shared on X by the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), one of the crashes led to a fire outbreak involving a truck and a container-laden trailer.
Another truck transporting cartons of biscuits overturned, spilling its goods across the highway, while a separate container-laden trailer rammed into the bridge barrier and plunged partially into the river. LASTMA confirmed that eight fatalities were recorded from the chain of accidents.
The agency said, “There’s a report of a multiple road crash where a truck and a container-laden trailer were in flames, another truck spilling its contents (cartons of biscuits) on the road, a container-laden truck ran onto the barrier with its carrier falling off the bridge into the river, thereby blocking the entire road at Kara Bridge inward Mowe.”
“Eight casualties recorded. Effort is on top gear for recovery and evacuation of the vehicles involved. Traffic backlog on Ogunnusi road, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Officers and other emergency first responders are on ground.”
This tragedy came barely a day after another accident involving two heavy-duty vehicles along Otedola Bridge, inward Berger-Ojodu, in Lagos. LASTMA said the collision occurred between a 14-tyre Scania truck carrying tonnes of wheat and a 6-tyre Iveco mini-truck loaded with cartons of Gala sausage rolls.
According to the agency, the crash happened when both vehicles reportedly engaged in a perilous contest for the Right of Way, leading to a violent impact that caused extensive damage and left one of the drivers severely injured.
