The minister of aviation, Mr. Hadi Sirika, has mandated the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) to begin an immediate investigation into the accident involving a passenger train and a bus which occurred in Lagos on Thursday
The accident occurred at PWD in Sogunle on Agege Motor Road, Ikeja and involved a train marked 2215 and a Lagos State BRT staff bus with registration number 04A-48LA
According to an eye witness report, the moving train rammed into the BRT bus, which crossed the train tracks despite train traffic signal and warning from the train traffic controller.
First responders at the accident site evacuated the bus and the train.
In a release issued from the office of the state governor, the vehicle with route number 33 was moving from Isolo to Alausa.
According to the statement, the bus had 85 passengers on board.
It stated that the accident recorded six fatalities; 42 with moderate injuries, 29 with serious injuries while eight sustained mild injuries.
The release added that the driver of the bus survived and was in police custody. Besides, it said the bus was peopled with “mostly civil servants and dependents.”
Describing the accident as “unfortunate” the minister commiserated with the government and people of Lagos State, especially those who lost their loved ones while wishing those who sustained injuries a quick recovery.
He assured the public of the capacity of the bureau to unravel the immediate and remote causes of the accident and proffer ways of preventing a recurrence.
Sirika solicited for the cooperation of members of the public as investigation by the NSIB team commences.
Meanwhile, the NSIB said it had commenced an investigation into an accident.
“This accident investigation marks the first train accident investigation embarked upon by the Bureau since its establishment under the NSIB Act 2022.
The NSIB hereby, solicit information from the general public in form of pictures, video or recording evidences to help assist in conducting a comprehensive investigation,” the spokesman for NSIB, Mr. Tunji Oketunbi, said in a statement.
He said the bureau can be reached through info@aib.gov.ng and AIB Nigeria on its social media platforms.
The NSIB is a multimodal investigation agency charged with the mandate to investigate transportation accidents and serious incidents in Nigeria with the aim of identifying the probable causes and proffer safety recommendations that can prevent reoccurrence.
