3 killed as Warri–Itakpe train derails in Delta

At least three passengers have been confirmed dead following the derailment of the Warri–Itakpe Train Service (WITS) on Monday at Agbor, Delta State. It was gathered that the train accident occurred at Owa-Oyibo, Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State. The train was heading towards Itakpe station, in Kogi State, from the Agbor […]

At least three passengers have been confirmed dead following the derailment of the Warri–Itakpe Train Service (WITS) on Monday at Agbor, Delta State.
It was gathered that the train accident occurred at Owa-Oyibo, Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State.
The train was heading towards Itakpe station, in Kogi State, from the Agbor station, when it derailed from the rail track along the way, resulting in the death of some passengers, while others sustained injuries.
A source, who didn’t want to be named, attributed the accident to rail track vandalism.
The Warri-Itakpe rail track had recently suffered several incidents of vandalism, which forced the authority to suspend the service for a while.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has confirmed that an incident involving the Warri–Itakpe Train Service (WITS) occurred on Monday.
In a statement issued by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NRC, Dr Kayode Opeifa, the corporation said emergency response teams and relevant authorities had been deployed to the scene to manage the situation and provide necessary assistance.
In an earlier update, the NRC assured the public that rescue operations had been activated and that all passengers on board had been accounted for.
However, a subsequent update from the Presidency confirmed that three fatalities had been recorded in the incident.
“Sadly, three fatalities have been confirmed at this time,” the statement said, while noting that relevant authorities were still assessing the full circumstances surrounding the derailment.
The government urged the public to rely only on verified information from official sources as investigations continue.
Daily Trust reports that the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) team, led by the Director-General, Capt. Alex Badeh, Jr. would be in Asaba on Tuesday to commence an investigation into the cause of the incident.