By Beatrice Oppon
Four more persons have been remanded into custody by the Accra High Court for their alleged role in the train accident at Abotia in the Volta Region.
The four Kokou Koudjo, Patrick Kwaka Sosu, Alaza Prosper and Fiadugbe Emmanuel have been charged with abetment of unlawful damage.
The train accident occurred last Thursday, April 18,2024 at Abortia during a test run of the new Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) 001 Train from Tema to Mpakadan.
When the train got to the Abotia area, it rammed into a truck which was stuck across the railway lines. Both the train and the truck were damaged.
The accused persons are alleged to have previously used the truck to convey cement blocks from a block factory at Juapong to Abortia using the underpass of the railway lines.
After offloading the blocks at the intended location, the accused persons decided to avoid the under bridge and cross the railway lines with the vehicle knowing fully that the railway lines are inaccessible to vehicles.
The facts indicate that upon reaching the
railway lines and realising that it was impossible to cross over the tracks, they gathered stones and placed on the lines to serve as a path for the truck to cross over.
After several unsuccessful attempts to move the truck, the accused persons tilted the head of the truck and left the scene without providing any warning for oncoming trains.
The prosecution said investigations have established that there is no access route across the railway tracks to the Juapong road and even if the truck had successfully crossed the railway, a big gutter and a stream would have still prevented the accused persons from joining the Akuse to Juapong road.
The driver of the truck has since been sentenced to six months in prison.
