Panic swept through the Idimu area of Alimosho Local Government in Lagos State on Wednesday when a mini commercial bus transporting a corpse for burial was involved in a road crash.
The accident, which occurred around 10am, left five people including three women and two men with varying degrees of injuries.
According to eyewitnesses, the deceased was being transported from Ejigbo to Ikotun as part of a funeral convoy consisting of three commercial minibuses and a Toyota Space Bus.
The incident unfolded when the brake system of the minibus carrying the corpse reportedly failed as the convoy approached the Idimu bus stop. The loss of control caused the vehicle to collide with another bus in the procession.
Eyewitnesses described a chaotic scene as mourners scrambled to assist the injured and secure the coffin amid the wreckage.
Foluke, one of the witnesses, said both drivers involved in the collision were injured.
“Some buses were picking up passengers on the layby when a minibus suddenly crashed into another one. The impact caused some of them to fall off the vehicle, and they got injured,” she recounted.
“At first, we thought it was just an accident between two passenger buses. It was when we moved closer that we discovered they were heading for a burial. That’s when we saw the corpse inside one of the buses. The occupants were also seriously injured.”
The driver of the minibus carrying the corpse admitted that the vehicle had developed a mechanical fault earlier in the journey but was temporarily fixed before they resumed the trip.
“On our way from Ejigbo, the bus developed a fault and began moving slowly. It later picked up again, and as we neared Idimu en route to Ikotun, I realized the brakes had failed. That’s when I lost control and hit the bus ahead of me. I wasn’t expecting such a terrible incident today,” he said.
Several of the injured were seen sitting on the ground at the scene as concerned residents provided first aid and offered help.
