The Nigerian Railway Corporation on Monday said it had begun the repair works on the damaged rail tracks at Jebba, Kwara State, which caused an accident on Friday.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the rail tracks were damaged following the accident which occurred at the entrance to Jebba Railway Station.

The accident involved a Lagos-Kano Intercity Passenger train. Four people, three males and one female, lost their lives when two garbage van, one guard van, one power van capsized and a passenger coach derailed.

The Deputy Director of Public Relations of the NRC, Abdulraouf Akinwoye, told NAN that two of the deceased were staff of the corporation, while the remaining two were passengers. Akinwoye said three other persons injured in the accident had been discharged from hospital.

He said the Managing Director of the NRC, Fidet Okhiria, and other stakeholders were at the scene of the accident for an assessment and restoration. The NRC spokesman said the services along the rail line would soon be restored, considering the commitment and pace of work by the corporation's team of engineers.

He said: "Considering the pace of work going on here, there is the likelihood to restore the affected tracks today. "The accident is unfortunate. "However, all machinery is being put in place to unravel the cause and to avert a repeat in the future."

Akinwoye said that the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Saliu Zakari, also came to the scene to represent the Minister, Rotimi Amaechi.

According to him, the corporation regrets the incident and sympathises with the families of the victims. "Commuters are advised not to be discouraged with the ugly incident as the Nigerian railway is committed to ensuring safety and protection of commuters," Akinwoye said.