There was chaos on Wednesday following a crash involving a mini commercial bus carrying a corpse to a burial in the Idimu area of Lagos State.
The incident occurred around 10 a.m. and left five people with varying degrees of injury, including three women and two men.
The mourners were traveling in a convoy of three minibuses and a Toyota space bus, transporting the deceased from Ejigbo to Ikotun.
Upon reaching the Idimu bus stop area, the bus carrying the corpse reportedly experienced brake failure, causing the driver to collide with the bus in front of it.
An eyewitness, who identified herself as Foluke, said the two buses were picking up passengers when one crashed into the other, causing some passengers to fall and sustain injuries. Initially, the accident appeared to involve buses carrying passengers, but it was later discovered that one of the buses was transporting a corpse.
The driver of the bus carrying the body explained that the vehicle had developed a fault earlier in the journey.
“The bus had started malfunctioning midway and was moving slowly. When we approached Idimu, I realized the brakes weren’t working, and I lost control,” he said, wincing in pain.
At the scene, injured victims were seen sitting on the ground while nearby residents provided first aid. A female occupant was found clinging to the corpse, with a leg injury.
A food vendor, who witnessed the accident, stated that three victims had broken legs, and some were trapped in their seats. “It took help from bystanders to rescue them,” she added.
Some mourners in the convoy ahead of the accident site were unaware of the crash until they noticed the vehicles behind had not arrived.
After calling the others, they learned of the accident. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, and the corpse was transferred to another vehicle.
The crash follows another recent accident on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, where six lives were lost, and several others were injured.
Emergency responders had to clear the wreckage and tend to the victims, causing a significant traffic delay.
