John Peter Amewu, the Minister for Railways Development, has confirmed that the photo shared on his social media pages purported to be captured from the scene of the Tema-Mpakadan railway train accident was fake.
Speaking in an interview with Accra-based Joy FM’s Midday News on Friday, April 19, he said that the picture posted on his social media handles was a photoshopped image in which a vehicle was placed on a railway line, emphasizing that it had nothing to do with the train accident scene.
According to him, the viral photo was not the point of the accident.
Amewu was quick to clarify that he does not manage his social media pages himself and disclosed that he had not even laid eyes on the picture in question.
“I haven’t seen the picture myself so I have to get to my Facebook. I think someone manages that Facebook but the picture I saw on social media was a photoshop of a vehicle they have put across the line and that is not even the point. That is not kilometer 76,” he said.
Background
Ghana’s newly acquired train from Poland was involved in an accident while on a test run on the Tema-Mpakadan railway route on Thursday, April 18, 2024.
The train is said to have collided with a Kia truck that was parked right on the railway, leading to some damage in its frontal area. Speaking hours after the incident, Peter Amewu said there were no casualties recorded despite the train carrying passengers and some inspectors.
The Ministry of Railways Development in a statement said as the train approached the curve at Km76+100, it confronted a stationary vehicle obstructing the rail track, leading to the accident.
Despite the immediate application of the emergency braking system, the train was unable to come to a complete stop before colliding with the vehicle.
There were no fatalities from the accident as passengers, drivers, crew members, and bystanders all emerged unharmed from the incident.
