Train crushes tricycle operator, passenger to death in Plateau
A train crushed a tricycle driver and a passenger to death around Phototake Abattoir Junction in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, on Wednesday. The train was said to be traveling from Bukuru to Jos. Daily Trust reports that two other passengers were critically injured in the accident. The accident provoked members of […]
A train crushed a tricycle driver and a passenger to death around Phototake Abattoir Junction in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, on Wednesday.
The train was said to be traveling from Bukuru to Jos.
Daily Trust reports that two other passengers were critically injured in the accident.
The accident provoked members of the community as people around the scene of the incident pelted the train with stones.
The train immediately moved after realizing the reaction of the people around.
Muhammad Ibrahim, an eyewitness , told Daily Trust that the incident occurred at 10am on Wednesday when the train coming from Bukuru and heading to Jos suddenly crushed the tricycle, instantly killing two persons at the scene while two women who were passengers were injured.
Another eyewitness, Jamilu Musa, while commenting on the incident, alleged that the absence of railroad crossing guards at the crossing gate was a major cause of the accident.
He said, “When the train was approaching, there was no gatekeeper at the railway crossing to stop vehicles and pedestrians. There was no barrier used to stop vehicles or signal that the train was approaching. This is very unfortunate because there was negligence on the part of the railway management.”
Some residents alleged that the gatekeepers were hardly seen at the railway crossing, noting that trains had been operating without officials stopping vehicles approaching railway tracks.
However, the spokesperson of Jos Railway Station, Adam Abdullahi, denied the allegation, saying the tricycle driver refused to stop when the train was passing, adding that a railroad crossing guard had tried to stop him, but he insisted on passing.
He said, “What happened was that at the level crossing, our official stopped him but he refused to stop. The train’s speed eventually caught the tricycle, causing the accident.”