The Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau, NSIB, says it has launched an investigation into the Abuja-Kaduna train that derailed at the Jere corridor on Sunday.
Some coaches of the train which departed the Rigasa Train Station in Kaduna in the morning of Sunday to Abuja reportedly derailed at a mountainous area near Jere.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this was disclosed in a statement signed by the Director of Consumer Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mrs Bimbo Oladeji, posted on the organization’s Instagram page (nsibofficial) on Sunday.
“NSIB is aware of the derailment of an Abuja-bound train from Kaduna which occurred halfway into the journey at Jere,” the statement said.
It added that a team was deployed to the site of the incident.
According to the statement, the train, which had dozens of passengers on board, departed Kaduna around 8:05 am. Three carriages were reported to have skidded off the tracks.
Security personnel, including operatives of the Nigeria Police and Army, were present at the site to provide support, while the management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC, assured passengers that normal train services between Kaduna-Rigasa, and Idu Abuja would continue despite the derailment.
Yakub Mahmood, the NRC Deputy Director of Public Relations, in a statement in Abuja, assured that the derailment would not hinder operations.
“All the passengers on board the Kaduna-Rigasa to Idu-Abuja arrived at their respective destinations safely. Meanwhile, a team of NRC Engineers are already at the site to restore the affected locations,” he said.