The owner of the Hyundai truck at the centre of the crash that took place between his vehicle and one of the newly-procured, modern government trains - the Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU), has spoken for the first time since the incident was reported in the media.

Speaking to the media, the owner of the truck, whose name was not given, denied assertions that the incident was a sabotage.

The man said that he is a businessman and not a politician and would never contemplate such an act.

He added that they were not aware that the railway line was going to be used and that if they knew, they would have gotten the truck off the line faster.

“… we would have removed the truck quickly. We were not aware the railway line would be used - we were not aware.

“I'm not doing politics. I am a businessman. Yeah, I'm not a politician. It is not a sabotage,” he said in a video shared by GhOne TV on X.

The owner of the truck explained that his car got stuck along the railway line after offloading some blocks at a site close to the railway.

He said that the driver left the vehicle to look for a jerk so he could move the car from the railway but upon his return, it had been smashed by the train.

He also said that they filed an official complaint after the incident and the driver was arrested.

"The driver was released and re-arrested after he got home," he added.

Background:

The Ministry of Railways Development, in a press statement issued on April 18, 2024, confirmed reports that one of the modern trains recently procured by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government from Poland, Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) 001, had been involved in a crash.

It said that the DMU hit a stationary vehicle during the test run; adding that no person was injured.

"At approximately 12:10 pm on Thursday, 18th April 2024, while conducting the test, an incident took place around Km76+100. The DMU, upon approaching the curve at Km76+100, encountered a stationary vehicle stationed right across the rail track. Despite the immediate application of the emergency braking system, the train was unable to come to a complete stop before colliding with the vehicle."

The ministry added, "The DMU involved has been moved to the Workshop for further assessment and necessary repairs".

Following the incident, proponents of the government and ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), including the Minister for Railway Development, John-Peter Amewu, have made allegations that the incident was orchestrated to sabotage the deployment of the train.

Watch the car owner's remarks in the video below:

The breakdown of my truck on the rail line was a pure coincidence - Vehicle Owner explains circumstances surrounding train accident.#GHOneNews #GHOneTV pic.twitter.com/CziUV6Unou

— GHOne TV (@ghonetv) April 19, 2024