An accident on the Third Mainland BridgeAt least five persons have been killed and 13 others injured on Third Mainland Bridge, Nigeria’s longest and busiest bridge located in the commercial city of Lagos.
It is estimated that millions of people use The Third Mainland Bridge every day. It is the longest of three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland, the other two being the Eko and Carter bridges. It was the longest bridge in Africa until 1996 when the 6th October Bridge located in Cairo was completed. The bridge starts from Oworonshoki which is linked to the Apapa-Oshodi express way and Lagos-Ibadanexpress way, and ends at the Adeniji Adele Interchange on Lagos Island.
Those killed included two children, local newspaper, The Punch, reported.
The newspaper said the accident happened at about 6pm on Sunday around the UNILAG Waterfront end of the bridge. It involved a LAGBUS, a Rover Jeep and a Hilux pickup.
The newspaper quoted an official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority told as saying on the telephone that the accident was caused by the pickup.
He said the driver of the truck drove at top speed and had a blowout before somersaulting.
“The truck driver was at top speed when he had a blowout and somersaulted. The truck crashed into the other vehicles, including the LAGBUS. In all, two vehicles somersaulted in the accident. Five people died and 13 were injured.”
The General Manager of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Michael Akindele, was quoted as saying that two children were among the victims.
“The accident occurred around 6.10 pm on the Third Mainland Bridge inward Iyana Oworo, by UNILAG Waterfront. It involved three vehicles, a LAGBUS, a Hilux truck belonging to a local vigilante group, and a Rover Jeep.
“Five persons were confirmed dead, among which were three female adults and two children (one female and one male). Five persons were also injured and taken by LASAMBUS to the Trauma Centre.
“The LASEMA response team towed away the vehicles from the bridge, while the dead bodies have been taken by the State Emergency Health Monitoring Unit to the Mainland Hospital mortuary.”