Seventeen people, including the driver, have been rescued after a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered commercial bus caught fire along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, leaving one passenger with severe burn injuries.
The incident occurred at Berger Bus Stop on the Lagos-bound section of the expressway on Wednesday, when the fully loaded Toyota Hiace bus reportedly suffered a gas explosion, SaharaReporters reported.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) said the vehicle, with registration number EKY 798 YK, was conveying 18 occupants from the Mowe-Ibafo axis towards Lagos when it suddenly burst into flames.
According to LASTMA’s Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, Adebayo Taofiq, agency personnel responded promptly and evacuated 17 occupants, while one male passenger seated at the rear of the vehicle sustained severe burns.
The injured passenger was taken to the Lagos State Trauma and Emergency Centre at Toll Gate for medical attention, while the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service deployed personnel to extinguish the fire. Officers of the Ojodu Police Division also secured the scene and maintained order during the emergency operation.
LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, commended the agency’s personnel and other emergency responders for their intervention, urging commercial transport operators, particularly those using CNG-powered vehicles, to undertake regular professional inspections and ensure proper maintenance of their gas systems.
