Photo: Google source
Train derails at Oshodi
A Lagos bound cargo train has derailed near Oshodi station, Lagos.
The accident which occurred at about 20:00hours (9:00pm) local time with yet to be announced number of casualty, has however left thousands of passengers stranded at stations between Mushin and Ijoko stations.
The stranded passengers are those waiting at Mushin, Oshodi, Shogunle, Ikeja, Agege and Agbado stations for the last train from Iddo to Ijoko to catch the last train from Ebute Metta to their destination on the Lagos – Ijoko track.
Many of them had to find alternative means of transportation to get their different destinations.
Eye witnesses told African Business Travel News (ABTN) that no sooner had the train with six coaches, left Oshodi station than one of its last two wagons attached to the end of the train got detached from the rest of the coaches at a location very close to Cappa level crossing.
The pilotless wagons lumbered into the tracks causing the wheels to get off the track and the wagons tumbled.
Since the driver could not bring the train to a stop immediately, ABTN learnt the speeding train was dragging the falling container along its tracks, resulting in sparks of fire and destruction of the slippers.
The sources said the resultant fire was, however, quickly put off after the driver struggled to bring the moving train to a halt.
However, there was no casualty recorded as at the time of filling in this report even as the cause of the derailment is yet to be ascertained.
As at the time of filing in this report there was no official confirmation of the derailment either from the Headquarters or Western District Office of Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), telephone lines of the spokesperson were not going through.
