A mother and her child have died after two container-laden trucks overturned near Freeman Market, Mile 2, inward Apapa, Lagos State.
The victims were reportedly trapped beneath the trucks and their containers in the accident, which occurred over the weekend.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, says its rescue team evacuated the victims and cleared the wreckage from the scene.
Traffic was diverted through an adjoining service lane as emergency personnel deployed a crane and a heavy-duty towing vehicle to remove the overturned trucks and containers. Police officers also secured the area during the operation.
The remains of the deceased were subsequently taken to the police mortuary in Yaba.
LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, has called for a thorough investigation to establish the cause of the fatal crash.
Possible factors to be examined include mechanical failure, overloading, improper distribution of cargo and driver negligence.
Bakare-Oki also urged truck operators to ensure their vehicles are roadworthy and that containers and other heavy cargo are properly secured before journeys.
The latest tragedy has renewed concerns about the safety of heavy-duty trucks on Lagos roads, particularly along busy freight routes serving the Apapa ports.
It comes weeks after another multiple-vehicle crash involving two trucks, a commercial bus and nine motorcycles at First Gate, inward Mile 2, along the Mile 2-Seme Expressway, left four people critically injured.
The October 6 incident involved two Mack trucks, one carrying a 20-foot container. Preliminary findings by LASTMA suggested that possible brake failure in one of the trucks caused the driver to lose control and collide with other vehicles.
The injured victims, three men and a woman, sustained multiple fractures and were taken to hospital for treatment.
The drivers involved were handed over to the police for investigation and possible prosecution.
For the latest accident, authorities have yet to establish the cause.
As investigations are expected to determine what went wrong, the deaths of the mother and her child highlight the urgent need for effective enforcement of roadworthiness standards, proper cargo loading and responsible driving by heavy-duty vehicle operators.
