yesterday, at the Ajayi Farm railway crossing in Ikeja, Lagos,
injuring four persons, among them, a pregnant woman. Unconfirmed
report said one person died during
the stampede. The incident happened barely two days after a
similar one also involving a commercial bus occurred at the same spot,
where several persons reportedly sustained injuries.
An eye-witnesses account said yesterday's incident occurred about
7a.m. with the train colliding with the vehicle with number-plate XF
899 FGG which was driving towards Ikeja. The impact of the collision
flung the vehicle with its
four passengers – a pregnant woman and three men – to the front of The
Christian Dominion Ministry building at 26 Adegbola Street,
Anifowoshe.
The pregnant woman, according to eye-witnesses, was bleeding as at
the time she was taken to the hospital alongside other
passengers,where doctors were said to be battling to save their lives.
When Vanguard arrived the scene, the affected vehicle which had its
windscreen shattered, was
dripped with blood stains inside. It was glaring that the train hit
the vehicle from the driver's side. The incident caused a stampede as
everyone fled for dear life. But the train did not stop. Officials of
the Railway Service were sighted at the scene.
Another eyewitness, who gave his name as Mr. Gbenro Bangbe, blamed
the drivers of the train and vehicle, saying: "The bus driver was not
patient enough to let the train pass while the train driver did not
hoot his horn to alert vehicles that might be driving through the
railway."we gathered that a similar incident occurred Monday on same
spot, after a train collided with a commercial bus,where several
persons reportedly sustained varying degrees of injuries.
"On that day, the bus was dragged all the way to the bridge by the
train. A lot of people sustained injuries and were rushed to the
Ikeja general hospital.
It is the same driver that drove the train on Monday that also
drove today. He does not hoot the horn like other drivers do", an eye
witness said. Meanwhile, commercial motorcyclists plying the route
have called on the state government to device measures aimed at
preventing a re- occurrence.