A 40-foot container truck has crashed into six vehicles on Kara Bridge, inward OPIC, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, triggering a major emergency response in the early hours of Tuesday.
There was, however, a major relief amid the crash: no life was lost and no injury was recorded, despite the impact involving seven vehicles and the potential for a more serious tragedy on the busy highway.
The container truck, which had no registration number, reportedly developed a mechanical fault while in motion, lost control and rammed into vehicles travelling along the bridge.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, said its LRT Tiger Squad stationed at C3 received a distress call and was dispatched to the scene, arriving at about 6:05 a.m. to begin coordinated emergency operations.
According to LASEMA Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, the seven vehicles involved were the container truck, a Toyota Hilux, an interstate bus, a Hyundai Odyssey, a Toyota Sienna, a Toyota Highlander and a Mitsubishi Hilux.
Emergency responders worked alongside officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, and the Nigeria Police Force to secure the area, manage traffic and prevent further incidents.
With support from private towing trucks, all the affected vehicles were removed from the carriageway and moved to the roadside, allowing traffic to resume on the bridge.
LASTMA officials remained at the scene to monitor traffic, while the recovered vehicles were handed over to the police for documentation and further necessary action.
Oke-Osanyintolu commended the emergency responders, LASTMA and the police for their prompt intervention, saying the coordinated response helped prevent casualties and restore traffic on the busy route.
He urged motorists, particularly operators of articulated vehicles, to carry out regular maintenance, comply with roadworthiness requirements and exercise caution when travelling on major highways.
The incident again highlights the dangers posed by mechanical failures involving heavy-duty trucks on major Lagos traffic corridors, where a single loss of control can quickly put multiple road users at risk.
