Three dead as truck plunges into Lagos river

Etim Effiong

Three corpses and the six tyre Volvo truck which plunged into the Epe river has been recovered, Nosa Ekunbor, Head, Public Affairs, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, has said.

He said the Volvo truck fell off the Berger bridge at Epe into the Epe river after its collision with a Dangote truck and could not be retrieved till about 1pm this afternoon despite concerted efforts of LASEMA and all its collaborators since Friday.

Ekunbor added that three adult males were recovered from the six-tyre truck loaded with sand, which plunged into the Epe river with an unknown number of passengers on board. 

According to him, the Search and Recovery operation being conducted since the incident occurred on Friday by a combined LASEMA Response Team, its Marine Rescue Unit, the FRSC, the Nigeria Police Force and local divers, is still ongoing.

He stated that preliminary report on the truck that fell into the river after an accident at Epe Bridge has it that, “The agency received information late last night of an accident involving a Volvo tipper truck that fell off the Berger bridge at Epe into the Epe river.

“Upon arrival at the scene of incident, it was discovered that the six-tyre truck was loaded with sand. The number of people in the truck was unknown.

“Since the late hours of the last night, a combined team of LASEMA responders, Marine Rescue Unit, the FRSC, the Nigeria Police Force and Local Divers have been carrying out search and rescue operations”.

“The operation was suspended after midnight this morning, to resume with a change of mode from Search and Rescue, to Search and Recovery due to time lapse in the window period known as the “Golden Hour,” he said.

He stated that additional update on the fallen truck at the Berger bridge in Epe into the Epe river has it that, “At 1300hrs, the six -tyre truck was located and retrieved along with the bodies of three adult males.

“A combined team of the agency responders, Marine Rescue Unit (LASWA & LASEMA), FRSC, the Nigeria Police Force and Local Divers have been carrying out Search and Rescue operations.”

He said that further search by the combined team of the agency responders, its collaborators of primary responders is still on.