- Safiu Kehinde
Scores of passengers have again been thrown into a state of panic as another train from Warri-Itakpe Train Service (WITS) derailed.
This is coming barely three months after the Abuja-Kaduna train derailment which left over 20 passengers injured.
The latest incident reportedly occurred on Saturday around 7:30pm at Agbor area of Delta State.
As confirmed in a statement issued on Sunday by the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) Managing Director, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, the incident which involved two of the the two out of the seven coaches of the train service was caused by suspected track vandals.
Opeifa however noted that no casualties was recorded as all passengers of the officials of the train were evacuated safely.
The NRC declared the temporary suspension of the train service while apologizing to the public for the inconveniences.
The statement read; “The Management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) wishes to inform the general public that a train derailment incident occurred yesterday at approximately 19:30 hours, involving two out of the seven coaches of our Warri—ltakpe Train Service (WITS) at Kilometer 212+&n, Agbor.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that the incident may have been caused by suspected track vandalism.
“We are pleased to confirm that all passengers on board were safely evacuated to Agbor, and everyone has been fully accounted for. No casualties or injuries were recorded.
“Our recovery team, supported by security personnel, has been at the site since last night carrying out recovery operations. These efforts are progressing steadily and are expected to be completed soon.
“As a precautionary measure, train services on the corridor have been temporarily suspended today to enable a comprehensive security and safety audit of the track and related infrastructure.
“We sincerely regret any inconvenience this may cause our valued passengers and the general public. Normal operations will resume as soon as it is verified safe to do so.”