Photo: Vehicle crushes 7 commuters at Berger bus stop

No fewer than seven commuters sustained varying degrees of injuries on Tuesday at the Berger bus stop, Isheri, Lagos State, after a Sienna Minivan rammed into them.

According to the Punch, the commercial bus, with number plate, KSF 948 XF, was heading for Abeokuta in Ogun State and was loaded with passengers when its brake failed and the driver lost control, ramming into people waiting to board buses to their various destinations.

Among the victims were a couple and two siblings.

The publication's correspondents, who were at the scene, observed officials of the Lagos State Ambulance Service, treating some of the victims on the spot.

Some people were seen praying and pouring oil on a woman who had passed out. Her husband's legs were crushed.

Policemen attached to the highway patrol team and officials of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency later took the victims to a hospital.

A passenger in the Sienna van, Mr. Afolayan Abdulazeez, said they observed that the vehicle was faulty five minutes after leaving Ketu.

He said, ''After five minutes on the road, we observed that the vehicle was faulty. However, the brake failed when we got to Berger.''

A LASTMA official said the accident happened around 1pm, adding that the driver fled the scene.

''The vehicle was loaded with passengers. The driver was speeding and when he pressed the brake pedal, the vehicle did not respond. He tried to pull up by the roadside, but the vehicle rammed into people by the roadside and crushed them,'' he said.

Another witness, Mukaila Salimon, explained that the driver, who was determined to reduce the number of casualties, headed for the expressway and hit the median.

''He tried his best to avoid the accident, but it was unfortunate that things turned out like this. There were seven people in the bus. I saw four people receiving treatment, but I am not sure any of the passengers in the vehicle was affected,'' he added.

The Public Relations Officer of LASTMA, Mamud Hassan, confirmed the accident.

He appealed to commercial drivers to always check their vehicles before driving, adding that commuters must also avoid faulty vehicles and should not hesitate to disembark from them once they observed any problem.