In the north-western state of Nigeria, tragedy happened when a train smashed a truck and a business tricycle in Kano metropolis.
An undefined number of passengers are believed to have died in the disaster, which occurred on Sunday afternoon.
According to reports, the trike was carrying four passengers and the truck was carrying approximately 300 bags of cement at the time of the collision.
The cement company’s truck was upside-down at the accident scene, with cement strewn across the rail tracks, and the tricycle was crushed, with broken glasses and tricycle components littering the rail tracks.
Residents of the area, who witnessed the accident scene, said efforts were made to flag down the trailer but it was not fruitful.
The source explained that the train hit the vehicle and the tricycle simultaneously when the driver of the trailer attempted to cross the rail line.
“What happened is that the train was already at a very high speed. I was beckoning on the truck driver to stop, warning him of the impending danger but he did not listen. Before you know it, the terrible accident occurred. I can’t say how many people died but it was very ghastly,” the source, who gave his name as Ahmed Adam, said.
Another eyewitness, Musa Danna, blamed the accident on overspeeding on the part of the truck driver.
“The truck driver was on high speed and the train was also on high speed. Onlookers were screaming that the truck driver should slow down but I guess too many voices left him confused,” he said.
“The train crashed into the truck, it lost control and crushed the tricycle. The train couldn’t stop, I couldn’t continue looking at the scene. It was so heartbreaking, and I walked away.”
See more photos from the accident scene below:
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
