The governor of Nigeria’s Lagos state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has called for people to come forward and donate blood as medics treat those wounded in a collision between a train and bus earlier on Thursday.

“It is still a critical period for some of the patients as we continue to call for blood donations across different state government medical facilities,” Mr Sanwo-Olu said in a series of tweets about the accident.

He said that 85 passengers were on board the bus carrying civil servants to work when it was hit by a commuter train during rush hour on Thursday morning in the Ikeja area of the city.

The governor confirmed that six people had died and said 29 people were in a critical condition, another 42 people had moderate injuries and a further eight had mild wounds.

He thanked the emergency workers and others involved in the rescue operation and also the staff and students at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (Lasuth), where those injured are being treated.

The crash happened at a railway crossing with no barrier.

“This was a totally avoidable incident that simply required patience and the need to follow proper transportation protocol,” said the governor, who is seeking re-election next week.