Train Derailed 4 Confirm Dead

In Jebba, Kwara state the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transport, Mr Sabiu Zakari confirmed four people died in Saturday’s train accident to newsmen during on the spot inspection visit to the scene of the incidence.

He said two of those who died have been identified and that their families have been contacted.

“We were informed when the accident happened and we swung into action immediately but it is unfortunate that we lost four people while three others sustained injuries. The three injured have been treated and discharged immediate and federal government already pick up their bills,

“For the dead, we have been able to identified two of them at the mortuary and we have contacted their families. We will continue to look for the families of the remaining two corpses, once we get them, government will take responsibility of their burial and we will also ensure how their corpses would be transferred to their relations,” he said.

Zakaari,however, commiserate with the families of the deceased and wish those injured speedy recovery.

The Managing Director ofthe  Nigerian Railway Corporation, Engineer Fidet Okhira, mourned those who died and commiserate with their families.

He,however, noted that those in the coach were illegal passengers who hide in the loads packed by the coach.

“There are twelve coaches going to Kano from Lagos and eleven of them are already in Kano, the last one was the one that was involved in the accident. The train that was involved in the accident is not a passenger coach but a carrier one, so those people who died there are illegal passengers who hide in the loads,” Okhira said.

The MD also denied rumour by some locomotive driver who said there is no life insurance for them, saying all their staff are insured by Industrial and General Insurance (IGI).

A victim’s father whose half body was seeing at the scene of the incidence, Mal. Muhammed Usman said he was at the scene to appeal to government to release the half body in the mortuary to them for burial.

Some residents of Jebba where the accident happened appealed to the federal government to come to their aid and find a lasting solution to railway problems in the country, saying the accident was about the fourth  within few years.