At least 300 injured in South Africa train crash

Thursday, 31 January 2013

At least 300 injured in South Africa train crash

by Alice Monroe

At least 300 passengers were injured when two commuter trains collided near Pretoria, South Africa

PRETORIA, South Africa -- Two commuter trains collided near the South African capital Pretoria on Thursday morning, leaving more than 300 passengers injured.

Many of the passengers aboard the trains were school children.

The accident happened when one train crashed into a stationary one near Attridgeville, a suburb in the western part of Pretoria.

"Both of the trains were full of commuters and between them were lots of schoolchildren on the way to school," local emergency services spokesman Johan Pieterse said.

"Many are walking wounded and already left. There are 20 people in serious condition and one, the driver of the second train, is in a critical condition," Pieterse added.

Mosenngwa Mofi, CEO of the Passenger Rail Association of South Africa blamed cable theft and subsequent human error for the crash and explained that the signalling for the trains to stop was being operated manually when the accident happened.

South Africa is in the process of overhauling of its ageing rail network. It signed a $5.8-billion contract with France's Alstom in December to supply 3,600 new train cars as part of a 10-year overhaul programme.

Image credit: @MedixGauteng/Twitter

South Africa rail crash leaves 150 in hospital
Source: Afp News Two passenger trains packed with school children and rush-hour commuters collided near the South African capital Pretoria on Thursday, leaving 150 people injured in hospital, in a crash the authorities blamed on cable theft. Duration: 01:04

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