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The Kaduna State Government has said that passengers trapped in the Abuja-Kaduna train have been completely evacuated by Nigerian security agents.
The state Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Kaduna.
Naija News earlier reported that bandit terrorists had planted explosives on the rail track which saw the Kaduna-bound train which has 970 passengers on board derail.
It was gathered that the train which took off around 6 pm from the Idu train station at the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja on Monday hit an explosive device about 30 minutes to Rigasa train station in Kaduna.
According to the commissioner, security operatives have rescued and evacuated the stranded passengers from forests and rocky locations close to the scene of the attack.
Aruwan disclosed that passengers who sustained injuries have been moved to hospitals and their medical bills would be footed by the state government.
The commissioner added that the state government is still liaising with the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to ascertain the list from the passengers’ manifest for efficient tracking
He, however, disclosed that search-and-rescue operations were still ongoing in the general area as of Tuesday morning.
The statement reads: “Evacuation of passengers on the trapped Kaduna-bound train from Abuja has been concluded this morning by security forces, officials of Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and Nigerian Red Cross.
“Passengers who sustained injuries, and other fatalities, have been moved to hospitals.
“The passengers were evacuated from different hard-to-reach areas in forests and rocky locations in Audujongom, off the Kaduna-Abuja Road.
“As stated yesterday, the Kaduna State Government is still liaising with the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to ascertain the list from the passengers manifest for efficient tracking.
“Governor Nasir El-Rufai who commended all those who participated in the evacuation appealed to the hospitals to attend to the victims diligently.
“The Governor also directed the Ministry of Health to be in contact with the hospitals as the government will bear the cost of their treatment.
“As of the time of this update, search-and-rescue operations are in progress.”
