NRC Blames Possible Wheel Defect For Train Derailment
The Nigerian Railway Corporation has released preliminary findings into the train derailment at Warri-Itakpe that occurred on June 8, 2026, which killed four people and injured 64 others, even as the independent investigation by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau remains ongoing.
This was contained in a report made available to pressmen on Monday. The NRC said its internal inquiry identified a possible sudden bogie or wheel defect that may have developed while the train was en route, “potentially causing abnormal wheel-rail interaction, excessive impact loading and loss of running stability.”
The report, however, stressed that the finding remains a working hypothesis pending the outcome of the NSIB investigation. The corporation further said, “The definitive cause or causes of the accident will be determined through comprehensive analysis and will be set out in the final report.”
The internal inquiry also identified the possible manner of brake application as a factor that may have contributed to the severity of the derailment, but the NRC cautioned that this, too, had not been established as a definitive cause.
The accident occurred after the train departed Itakpe at noon with 482 people on board, 442 passengers and 40 operational personnel. Five coaches, a locomotive and a power car derailed. Three coaches and the power car overturned, while the remaining derailed rolling stock stayed upright.
Despite the scale of the derailment, the NRC said all passengers were evacuated within two hours following a coordinated emergency response involving the Delta State Government, police, Federal Road Safety Corps, National Emergency Management Agency, local authorities and medical teams.
Four people, three adults and a child, died, while 64 others sustained injuries ranging from bruises and deep lacerations to blunt trauma, musculoskeletal strain, lumbar and maxillofacial injuries.
Twenty-eight passengers were “treated and discharged at the Railway Hospital, Owa-Oyibu, while another 36 were taken to general hospitals in Owa-Oyibu, Owa-Alero and the Central Hospital, Agbor.”
Most of those admitted were discharged within 72 hours. Three people remain under specialist medical care, including an NRC staff member who required surgery. Two of the injured subsequently underwent surgical procedures.
The NRC also corrected an earlier report that five people had died, saying verification with the Delta State Medical Team, which handled the deceased, confirmed the toll at four.
Additionally, the inquiry team found no evidence of track vandalism and reported that the points were intact. The report noted that this finding distinguishes the latest derailment from two previous accidents involving the same Warri-Itakpe service on November 1 and November 8, 2025, which were attributed to track vandalism.
The NRC said it had fully cooperated with the NSIB, which commenced an independent investigation in accordance with statutory requirements. “The Nigerian Railway Corporation is fully cooperating with the NSIB investigation and will be guided by its findings and recommendations,” it said.
