9 Jan 2019

South Africa train crash: 3 dead, 300 injured

11:55 am on 9 January 2019

At least three people were killed and around 300 injured on Tuesday after two trains collided in the South African capital Pretoria, an emergency services official said.

splitting railroad, double-track railroad, rail tracks

Photo: 123rf.com

The crash, which occurred at 9:30 a.m. (8.30pm NZT), left 82 passengers with serious injuries after a packed train careered into a stationary train at Mountain View station.

"We do not rule out the possibility of additional fatalities as we search under the wreckage," emergency official Charles Mabaso said.

An investigation into the cause of the collision was ongoing, Mr Mabaso said.

This is the latest in a series of train accidents in South Africa, which has the continent's largest railway network.

In October, 320 people were injured after a packed train travelling from Johannesburg to Pretoria crashed into the back of a stationary train.

- Reuters