The accident occurred during operations on the busy passenger line, forcing an immediate halt in services as rescue efforts got underway.
In a statement, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) confirmed the incident and said emergency response teams, alongside relevant authorities, were deployed to the scene to manage the situation and assist affected passengers.
“The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) confirms that an incident involving the Warri–Itakpe Train Service (WITS) occurred today.
“Emergency response teams and relevant authorities are currently at the scene attending to the situation and providing necessary assistance,” the statement signed by its Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Kayode Opeifa, partly read.
The corporation added that it was closely monitoring developments and would issue a detailed update once further information becomes available.
“The Corporation is closely monitoring developments and a detailed statement will be issued as soon as more information becomes available,” it said.
Rescue and recovery operations are ongoing, while investigations have commenced to determine the cause of the derailment.
More details are expected as the situation unfolds.