It was a very sad scene to behold today on Oshodi-Apapa road in Lagos state, Nigeria.
The accident involved a bus belonging to the Lord's Chosen Charismatic Revival Church and 4 other vehicles on the popular expressway.
A traffic warden at the Akinpelu Police Station, Oshodi who witnessed the fatal accident, told reporters this morning that the truck was coming from the Anthony flyover and heading towards the church's headquarters in Ijeshatedo when the driver lost control and hit a commuter bus loading passengers at Charity Bus-Stop.
He confirmed that six persons died in the accident while many were injured. Some hawkers were stated to be among the dead.
The injured, he disclosed, were rushed to nearby hospitals while the dead were taken to the mortuary.
"The accident was unfortunate. When we arrested the driver, he blamed it on brake failure but we also observed that he was carrying an overload. So it is possible that the weight of the load caused him to lose control. We are still investigating," he stated.
He denied that 13 passengers died in the accident, saying only six persons have been confirmed dead as at 9 a.m. today.
The traffic warden who stated he participated in carrying the corpses to the ambulance stated majority of the victims were women and children.
He added that the driver of the truck, Lawrence Nwaodu, is in custody.
As stated by Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, in a statement, "...When police officers...arrived at the scene, they discovered that it was caused by a tipper, which was carrying sand..."
"The tipper, ...owned by the Lord's Chosen Church, lost control due to a brake failure and rammed into three stationary vehicles in the park..."
"One of the deceased was a pregnant woman, whose foetus also gushed out, bringing the casualty figure to six in number..."