New details have emerged about the victims of the car crash involving former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, which claimed the lives of two passengers on Sunday along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway in Ogun State.
Authorities confirmed that the two men killed were foreign nationals, while Joshua, 36, sustained minor injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital.
Two other passengers in the vehicle reportedly escaped without serious harm.
Eyewitnesses said Joshua was seated behind the driver of the Lexus SUV at the time of the crash, with one passenger beside him and another in the front seat.
It was the two front-seat occupants who were pronounced dead at the scene.
The vehicle reportedly collided with a stationary truck after the driver attempted to overtake another car and a tyre burst.
A witness told PUNCH: “It was a two-vehicle convoy. His security team was travelling in the vehicle behind. Other eyewitnesses and I assisted in rescuing the occupants and flagged down oncoming vehicles for help. Joshua was conscious but the two front-seat passengers died immediately.”
The Federal Road Safety Corps confirmed that excessive speed and wrongful overtaking were the primary causes of the crash, which occurred on one of Nigeria’s busiest and most accident-prone highways.
Joshua, who had arrived in Nigeria for a short holiday following his recent bout with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, was reportedly travelling from Lagos to his family home.
A relative described the incident as “a shock” and prayed for both Joshua’s speedy recovery and the souls of the deceased.
Joshua had shared a video on social media just hours before the crash, showing him playing table tennis with a friend.
His promoter, Eddie Hearn, confirmed that the star “appears OK” but said more information on the crash was being gathered.
The two passengers who lost their lives in the tragic accident are yet to be officially identified, while authorities continue investigations to establish the full circumstances surrounding the crash
