3 die, 23 injured as luxury bus plunges into canal in Lagos

Tragedy struck in the early hours of Friday in Lagos, when a Luxury Bus with registration number Anambra GDD 386 YE, belonging to GUO Transport Service Co. Ltd., enroute Maza Maza from Aba, Abia State, skidded off its track on top speed and plunged into the Canal at Owode Elede, near Mile 12, Ikorodu Road.

Quoting the Public Affairs Officer of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Adebayo Kehinde, our source revealed the agency received a distress call at about 3:23 am on Friday, notifying them of the unfortunate incident.

“The Agency received a distress call at about 3.23 am today, 17/2/2017, via the emergency toll free number 767/112 concerning a Luxurious Bus with registration number Anambra GDD 386 YE belonging to GUO Transport Service Co. LTD which was gathered to be en route Maza Maza from Aba, Abia State.

“According to preliminary investigations conducted at the incident scene. the luxurious bus was said to have skidded off its track while on top speed and plunged into the Canal at Owode Elede, before Mile 12. Ikorodu Road.

“The bus, with 59 passengers on board, had 23 people injured and were treated on the spot by a joint team of LASEMA Paramedics and LASAMBUS. Nine out of the treated victims were taken to the Lagos State Trauma Centre at the Toll Gate for further treatment, while two adult male and one female, which include the motor boy, were recovered dead from the Canal,” he said.

According to him, the three dead bodies, the bus and their belongings had been handed over to the men of the Nigeria Police, Owode Division.
He said the Agency recovered the vehicle with the aid of its heavy duty equipment crane from the canal and towed it off the road to ensure free flow of traffic. He added that the response and recovery operations were coordinated by LASEMA in conjunction with LASTMA, LASAMBUS, Lagos State Fire Service, RRS, Task Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, FRSC, NEMA amongst others.

The General Manager of LASEMA, Mr. Adesina Tiamiyu, affirmed that a proper investigation would be conducted on the incident. He however advised motorists to be safety conscious and avoid excessive speeding while driving, especially when embarking on night journeys.