Four individuals were arrested by police for their alleged roles in a recent train accident at Abortia in the Volta Region. The accused, identified as Kokou Koudjo, a 34-year-old gas welder; Patrick Kwaku Sosu, a 52-year-old labourer; Alaza Prosper, a 28-year-old labourer; and Fiadugbe Emmanuel, a 31-year-old labourer, have been charged with “abetment of unlawful damage.”
The group is accused of aiding Abel Adzidotor, the driver of the truck that unlawfully damaged a Diesel Multiple Unit train. During proceedings at the High Court, presided over by Justice Mrs. Lydia Osei-Marfo, the pleas of the accused were not taken as they were remanded into police custody to allow for further investigations.
Christabel Selma Anafure, the Assistant State Attorney leading the prosecution, requested that the court withhold taking pleas due to the ongoing investigation. The court granted the prosecution’s request and ordered the accused to appoint legal representatives by the next hearing.
Details presented in court revealed that on April 18, 2024, between 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM, the accused were in a Hyundai Gold Truck, driven by Dzidotor Abel, now convicted, who was transporting blocks from a factory in Juapong to Abortia using the railway underpass.
After unloading the blocks, the accused allegedly chose to cross the railway lines as a shortcut, despite knowing the lines were not passable by motor vehicles. They attempted to facilitate the truck’s crossing by placing stones on the railway tracks, but the truck became stuck. The accused reportedly tilted the truck’s head and left the scene without setting any warning for oncoming trains.
The incident occurred as a Diesel Multiple Unit train, which was on a test run from Tema to Mpakadan with engineers from Ghana and Poland, collided with the obstructed truck. The train, along with the truck, sustained significant damage. The truck was deemed beyond repair and taken to the Juapong Police Station, while the train was sent to Tema for further examination.
This incident highlights ongoing safety challenges and the need for stricter adherence to regulations concerning railway track crossings and vehicle operations near railway lines.
