ArcelorMittal Liberia reported last week that one of its locomotives traveling from Tokadeh, Nimba County to Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, crashed near Sanniquellie on 21 September, the second train crash to hit the steel giant within five months this year.
It can be recalled that ArcelorMittal reported that during the early morning hours of 21 May 2021, two locomotives belonging to the company were involved in a collision near Ganta City, Nimba County, with the company at the time indicating that the accident was the first of its kind within 12 years of its rail operations in Liberia.
Before the 21 May 2021 train crash, ArcelorMittal suffered another train accident the previous year, when in June 2020, a train belonging to the company derailed between Ganta and Sanniquellie, Nimba County, Women Voices have reliably gathered.
Howbeit, ArcelorMittal blames the 21 September train crash on those it referred to as criminals, who the company says targeted the train to carry out criminal activities, which it says resulted into derailment on the track around Kilometer 215 near Saniquellie, Nimba County.
ArcelorMittal claims the presumed target of the criminals that attacked its moving train, were the tarpaulins covering the iron ore wagon to keep out moisture from the ore. The company fell short of disclosing the exact number of the criminals and the identity of any of those it accused of attacking its moving train, resulting to the 21 September accident..
According to ArcelorMittal, during what it described as a blatant attack, some of the moving wagons were deliberately disconnected from its braking systems and veered off the rail track, resulting in damage to a portion of the rail line.
The company says neither fatalities nor injuries were reported.
ArcelorMittal, which says it strongly condemns this latest attack against its property, announced that while it is assessing the impact of the accident, it is working with the Liberia National Police and security authorities to conduct an investigation into last Tuesday’s train crash.
