Passenger train derails

Commuters making their way to their destinations on foot. Ahead is the derailed train.

An Accra-bound passenger train Friday morning derailed at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle near the Neoplan Station just minutes ahead of destination.
The seven-coach train was carrying mostly market women from Nsawam in the Eastern Region. There were no casualties.

There has been no official comment on the accident yet, however it was observed that one of the rails had broken and may have caused the derailment.
The accident occurred right in the middle of one of Accra’s busiest two-way dual carriages – linking several parts of the city from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle – and left hundreds of commuters stranded.

Drivers had no choice but to turn away disappointingly while the passengers on the train had to make rest of the journey via other means.

‘Eyewitness’

An eyewitness, Mr. David Akuamoah, who had stopped at the level crossing to make way for the train, told Myjoyonline.com that he saw the train shaking and vibrating all of a sudden, and the coaches followed off the tracks one after the one.

“We were all frightened, I suspect it was caused by the break pump that was cut into two. If it had fallen completely, then it would have been a different story all together. I thank God for saving us from this catastrophe.”

Another eye witness, Enoch Acheampong accused the train driver of over-speeding.

When a Myjoyonline team got to the scene, the engine was severed from the coaches. Most of the woods holding the metal rails were weak and some had fallen off. The recent rains also seem to have rendered the soil weak.

Story by Isaac Essel/Myjoyonline.com