Many passengers escaped death after a train en route from Abuja to Kaduna on the Abuja-Kaduna Train Service (AKTS) route went off the tracks on Tuesday.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the Kaduna-bound train derailed at Asham, along the Abuja-Kaduna corridor, after the train left Abuja at about 9:45 am.
While no lives were lost, many passengers were said to be injured. It was gathered that security forces have been reinforced at the scene as hundreds of passengers remain stranded.
Nonetheless, the incident caused panic among the passengers, many of whom scrambled to safety. Eyewitnesses said some coaches were badly affected, with the passengers sustaining minor injuries while trying to exit the overturned cabins.
However, possible factors being considered include vandalism and scavengers’ activities along the rail line, or mechanical issues such as hot axles.
According to a terse statement on the development by the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), emergency rescue teams, medical personnel, and nearby hospitals had been mobilised to provide urgent assistance to passengers.
The NRC also disclosed that a full complement of security operatives had been deployed to the scene to ensure the safety of commuters and facilitate ongoing evacuation efforts.
This would not be the first challenge faced on the AKTS train route. The rail corridor had witnessed disruptions and security threats in the past, most notably the March 2022 terrorist attack that claimed several lives and led to the suspension of services.
Also, just last week, the Abuja-Kaduna train service experienced a technical scare linked to a hot axle.
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Tuesday’s incident once again raises questions about the safety and maintenance of Nigeria’s critical rail infrastructures across the country.