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.
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Train accident photo posted on my social media pages is a photoshop - Peter Amewu
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.
Train accident photo posted on my social media pages is a photoshop - Peter Amewu
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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.
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.
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“The engineers are currently working on it. The train has been brought back to the workshop. The Kia driver himself has reported himself to the police station, but the conduct of the driver as of now cannot be well explained,” the Railways Minister said on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News. “And the good thing is that all the passengers and the inspectors on board the train, none of them got injured, and we are currently in the process of assessing the damage to the train. Technically, I would say the train is still in very good form. Nothing in terms of electrical or the engine has been affected, except the front that got slightly damaged.”
Train accident photo posted on my social media pages is a photoshop - Peter Amewu confesses
Pulse Ghana
Earlier this month, the first batch of trains assembled in Poland arrived at the Tema Port to help make railway transportation better in the country. Ghana is expected to receive 12 state-of-the-art trains from Poland to boost railway transportation, with the new trains expected to begin operations in May.
Meanwhile, Abel Dzidotor, the driver responsible for the tragic train accident has been handed a six-month jail term.
The sentencing comes after Dzidotor admitted guilt to three out of the four charges levelled against him.
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Dzidotor pleaded guilty to charges including inconsiderate driving, causing unlawful damage, and unauthorized stopping. The court found him guilty on these counts, leading to his sentencing.
The first charge against Dzidotor was for careless and inconsiderate driving, a violation under Section 3 of the RTA Act 683 (2004), amended by Act 761 of 2008. He received a sentence of 100 penalty units, equivalent to a potential 20-month prison term if not paid.
The second charge was for unauthorized stopping, contravening Section 19 of Act 683 of 2004, as amended by Act 761 of 2008. Dzidotor pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 penalty units, or a five-month jail term if unpaid.
The third charge, causing unlawful damage, was in breach of section 172b of Act 2960. Dzidotor admitted guilt and received a six-month sentence in hard labour.
However, Dzidotor pleaded not guilty to the fourth charge of failing to produce a driver’s license, contrary to regulation 47(2) of LI 21(80). He claimed his license was within the damaged vehicle and has been instructed to present it to the court by May 9, 2024, under the threat of potential consequences.
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The Ghana Police Service had arrested Dzidotor after preliminary investigations revealed that he had allegedly left his Hyundai truck unattended on the railway line, resulting in a collision with the newly imported train from Poland during a test run. The police statement suggested that Dzidotor had gone to deliver cement blocks when his truck became stuck on the rail after he failed to navigate a pass-through under the bridge.
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