•All passengers safe, says NRC

By CHIAZO OGBOLU

The Management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) says all passengers of the Warri–Itakpe Train Service (WITS) are safe after the trains derailment.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NRC, Dr Kayode Opeifa , said this in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.

“We wish to inform the public that a train derailment incident occurred on Saturday at approximately 19:.30 hours, involving two out of the seven coaches of our WITS at Kilometer 212+8m, Agbor.

“Preliminary investigations indicated that the incident may have been caused by suspected track vandalism.

“We are please 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,” he said.

Opeifa said that the NRC recovery team, supported by security personnel, had been at the site since last night carrying out recovery operations.

He added that these efforts were 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 public.

“Normal operations will resume as soon as it is verified safe to do so,” he assured. (NAN)