Lobito - A light vehicle was dragged for around fifteen meters, this Saturday, at the level crossing in the Luz neighborhood, in Lobito City, centre-west Benguela Province, by a freight train from the Lobito Atlantic Railway consortium.
According to driver Nélson Cordeiro, the train was leaving this afternoon for Luau, eastern Moxico Province.
The professional explained that the train left the Main Station, respecting the established speed and honked its horn at short intervals to wake up passers-by and motorists traveling around that perimeter.
"The accident occurred at the level crossing next to the Military School of Aeronautics, in Bairro da Luz, due to the negligence of the driver of the vehicle who decided to continue forward, ignoring the proximity of the convoy," he stated.
According to witnesses at the scene, the driver of the vehicle left with minor injuries, as he was traveling alone and the collision occurred on the passenger side.
Meanwhile, teams from the National Police, the National Institute of Medical Emergencies (INEMA) and the Civil Protection and Fire Service immediately appeared at the scene for intervention.
One of the responsible for the Lobito Atlantic Railway said that the train was stopped for three hours, delaying a two-day journey, due to the stop in the last three provinces of the Lobito Corridor, namely Huambo, Bié and Moxico.
"We had to ask the national police for permission to move the convoy back, to allow the passage of vehicles that had been stopped for several hours," he stated.
The vehicle was removed from the railway line a few hours later, after expert examination, with the help of an emergency vehicle.
TC/CRB/CF/jmc
