At least 250 people have been injured in a peak hour train collision in
the South African city of Johannesburg. One train was reported to have
ploughed into a stationary train near Booysens station as workers headed
home from the city. Badly injured people were carried to dozens of
waiting ambulances as shocked passengers sat on the ground and received
treatment for minor injuries.
"Emergency services are still at the scene and at this point in time a
total of 250 patients have been attended to and have been transported to
various hospitals for further medical care," said Santi Steinmann, a
spokeswoman for the emergency services. "There are still patients at the
scene and their number are expected to grow. "Fortunately there are no
fatalities of critically injured patients." Some passengers were given
medical care inside the wrecked carriages before being carefully lifted
down a steep embankment on stretchers. A commuter told local media that
one train derailed and hit the other, although rail authorities at the
scene said the cause of the crash was still be determined. The accident
happened at the height of the evening rush hour when the trains were
packed with people heading from Johannesburg city centre to residential
areas. Buses were laid on to take uninjured passengers home, while train
services were disrupted across the south of the city. The last major
train crash in South Africa was in April when a guard was killed and 240
people injured in a similar accident in Johannesburg as two crowded
commuter trains collided.
AFP/BBC
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