Five people sustained varying degrees of injury on Wednesday after a mini commercial bus carrying a corpse for burial was involved in an accident at Idimu in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The incident occurred around 10 am when the bus, part of a convoy traveling from Ejigbo to Ikotun for a burial, developed a brake failure as it approached the Idimu bus stop.
The faulty bus crashed into the vehicle in front of it, causing the accident.
Among the injured were three females and two males.
An eyewitness, who identified herself as Foluke, explained that some buses were picking up passengers on the layby when the crash occurred.
“At first, we thought it was an accident between two buses with passengers inside, but as we got closer, we saw the corpse and realized they were heading for a burial,” she said.
“The occupants were seriously injured.”
The bus driver, still in pain after the accident, explained that the bus had already developed a fault earlier in the journey.
“On our way from Ejigbo, the bus was moving slowly due to a fault.
It later seemed fine, but as we approached Idimu, the brake failed, and I lost control of the vehicle,” he said, visibly distressed.
At the scene, several injured individuals were seen sitting on the ground, receiving first aid from passersby.
One woman was spotted holding onto the corpse inside the bus while nursing injuries to her leg.
A food vendor at the scene, who preferred not to be named, revealed that three of the victims had suffered broken legs.
“Their legs were trapped in the seats of the bus, and it took the help of bystanders to free them,” she explained.
Mourners who were ahead of the convoy had driven several distances before realizing the accident had occurred.
One of them, who rushed to the scene, shared, “We were ahead and nearly at the Council bus stop when we noticed they were no longer behind us.
We called and found out about the accident.”
The injured victims were taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment, while the corpse was transferred to another vehicle.