Rare view of the crash
A popular commercial and industrialized city in an eastern part of Nigeria, Aba, Abia state to be precise, on Friday, experienced a train accident after it struck a truck but no life was lost as the truck driver and conductor escaped death, the truck's registration number, Lagos APP 153 XL.Saturday Vanguard gathered that the passenger train was on its way to Port Harcourt when it rammed into the oncoming truck at the Factory road railway crossing.
While the driver of the truck was said to have escaped arrest, the conductor was unlucky as he is currently being detained by the Railway Police station in the city.
The accident occurred at about 6am, Friday, caused heavy gridlock on the road as many commuters trekked for long distance before boarding bus to their respective destinations.
Some motorists diverted to Okigwe road causing heavy gridlock in the area.
As at 2pm when Saturday Vanguard visited the area to assess the situation, security officials were seen directing traffic as the truck was being towed away to the railway police station.
Reacting to the incident, motorists lamented the attitude of some of the train drivers who would not blare horn until they approach the rail crossing and called on the railway authorities to check the trend.
Eyewitnesses said the driver and the conductor of the truck would have lost their lives if the train was on a high speed.
A staff of the railway corporation in Aba, who declined to have his name on print, denied that the truck driver was not alerted about the oncoming train.
He said, "The train was heading to Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
We have level crossing keepers who were flagging him down with the red flag which he ignored, policemen were also on duty and were also warning him that a train was coming, but he ignored their signals.
It was while he was trying to beat the policemen and his refusal to adhere to the flagman that the train rammed into him which led to the accident."
Source: Vanguard-Nigeria
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