Tema-Accra train derails at Alajo
About 100 passengers on board a train heading to Accra from Tema were on Monday thrown into a state of shock when the train derailed from its tracks at the Alajo train station.
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Eyewitnesses who rushed to the scene told the Daily Graphic that some of the passengers were so traumatised that they virtually “froze” and were fixed to their positions on the train.
Others were also said to have rushed from the train in full panic and had to be calmed down by some eyewitnesses and police officers who made it to the scene.
In the melee that ensued, three passengers, including a student, sustained minor injuries.
The Tesano Divisional Commander of the Motor and Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr Francis Aboagye, told journalists that the injured were rushed to the Achimota Hospital for treatment.
“There were no serious injuries, as was initially reported. But it is possible some of the passengers will feel the effect of the accident after a while,’’ he said.
When the Daily Graphic got to the scene, the first carriage of the six-carriage train had veered of the tracks and was lying about half a metre from the railway line.
The derailed carriage was lying on its side, almost separated from the rest of the carriages, with the parts showing its rusty nature.
Scores of people had rushed to the scene, obviously to catch a glimpse of the accident victims and the train.
Some of the officials seen at the site included the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayawaso West-Wuogon, Mr Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko; the Deputy Minister of Railways Development, Mr Kwaku Agyenim Boateng, and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Railway Development Authority, Mr Richard Diedong Dombo.
Incident
Per the narration of the Achimota Railway Master, Mr Saviour Zikpi, the train, made up of six carriages and travelling at five kilometre per hour, left Tema Community One at 6:30 a.m., destined for the Accra Central Railway Station.
“A around 7:30 a.m., the train arrived at the Alajo Train Station, but we later heard that it had derailed from its tracks so we rushed to the scene. Our worse fear was confirmed when we saw the first carriage off the tracks,’’ he said.
Mr Eric Dogbe, one of the people who entered the train to assist those on board after the incident, told journalists that a very loud sound attracted him to the scene.
“We heard a big bang and decided to rush to the site, only to see the train off its tracks. It was a chaotic situation, as some of the passengers were trying to force their way off the train. Had it not been for the quick response of the police, some of the people would have died of shock,’’ he said.
Death tracks
A quick check on the Alajo railway tracks revealed the weakened nature of the tracks. Erosion, coupled with squatters around the tracks, has made the tracks a death trap.
Just a few metres from the derailment, a big gutter filled with rubbish supported with stones runs underneath the tracks.
With the heavy nature of a train, it is a miracle that the tracks did not cave in.
In an interview, Mr Dombo said during a recent assessment of the safety of rail tracks in the country, his outfit did not see the Alajo rail tracks as a danger zone.
“It was not flagged as something that needed any urgent action. So it is a mystery that this incident has happened,’’ he said.
He, therefore, urged the public to exercise patience to allow investigators to ascertain the true cause of the accident.
For his part, Mr Agyenim Boateng appealed to the public to stop the blame game, as the incident required a technical assessment.
“Who is blaming who is not why we are here, but we will definitely find a solution to this problem,’’ he said.
