Over nine hundred passengers escaped death yesterday morning when a 10-coach Iddo bound train rammed into a trailer truck at Ilupeju Railway crossing near Oshodi, Lagos.
The accident, which occurred at about 7.30 am, led to traffic gridlock on the Ilupeju/Oshodi Road for several hours.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that each of the coaches has 90 seats, but they were usually overloaded.
An eyewitness told NAN that the articulated vehicle blocked the railway crossing when the train was already close by.
The loaded trailer had crashed into the double barriers on the railway crossing shortly before the train arrived.
On seeing the approaching train, the driver jumped out of the trailer and ran away. The train then dragged the truck for some distance, scattering the goods inside it — which were mostly empty cartons of Malta Guinness drink – along the track.
The dragging of the truck also led to the damaging of some vehicles parked along the rail track by auto mechanics.
The accident caused some damage to the engine of the locomotive and the track.
NAN reported that the incident was the third time in the month of August that a passenger train would ram into vehicles at railway crossing in the Lagos metropolis.
The earlier two accidents occurred at the Ikeja railway crossing, and claimed some lives.
Confirming the accident, Mr Ademuyiwa Adekanbi, the Lagos District Public Relations Officer of the Railways, said that no life was lost in the incident.
Adekanbi said that the corporation had embarked on enough enlightenment campaign on the use of the railway crossings.
“We have done enough jingles on radio and television, we have rallies and distributed fliers to sensitise people of the right of way of a train at level crossings,” he said.
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What dirty enlightenmen, I'm sure there was a device that blocks cars from crossing the railway atlest 5mins b4 the train crosses. You are talking of Jingles on the radio, Rubbish.
ReplyDeleteYou are talking as if u do not know Lagos drivers. They are Always in a hurry to do everything. I am very sure the train must hv horned severally before getting to d crossing. Maybe due to d driver's carelessness or stubborness he forced himself into d path of d train. Too bad for d truck driver.
Delete@wats05 am surprised u dont understand simple Eng.lang.wat cöncerns recklessness ön dis mata.d message read d vehincle developed fault at dat place and unfotunatly d train was comin.d first anonimous comment is okay bcos if gvt do d neccessary things,dis wudnt hav happened.try 2 understand d message b4 u make comment l dont know how u pass WAEC.
ReplyDeleteIs it true that trains doesn't have brake and hw did it stop at station point? OR is it once they move from One station it shd not stop until another even if issue like crashed vehicle occur on the railway?
ReplyDelete@ anon 8:08, Trains have brakes, but due to the heavy weight and Multiple carriages, usually need about 200m to stop. they cannot stop abruptly like cars or trucks.
ReplyDelete@NE 8.32 thank u for your enlightenment.
ReplyDelete