PHOTOS: 12 Dead, 180 Injured As Train Crashes, Bursts Into Flames In Free State, South Africa
At least 12 people were killed and 180 injured in South Africa on Thursday when a passenger train collided with a truck and burst in...
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At least 12 people were
killed and 180 injured in South Africa on Thursday when a passenger
train collided with a truck and burst into flames, an official said, as
rescuers searched for survivors.
Images showed a fire
engulfing several passenger carriages that were derailed at the scene
near Kroonstad, 200 kilometres (125 miles) southwest of Johannesburg.
"The death toll has
increased to 12," provincial government health spokesman Mondli Mvambi
told AFP, adding that at least 180 people had been injured, two of them
critically.
"It is feared that they could find more bodies as the search, recovery and rescue work is ongoing," Mvambi said.
Black smoke poured from carriages lying on their side close to a road.
Speaking on the phone
from the scene of the accident, rail company official Leboho Mokhalipha
told AFP that teams were digging through the wreckage in search of any
passengers trapped inside.
"There are still some people inside the coaches -- the ones that were on fire," said Mokhalipha.
Some victims were
treated at the scene while others were taken to hospital, local media
reported, as uninjured passengers walked away from the wreckage, many
carrying their luggage.
The New Year is a busy
period for transport in South Africa, with railways and roads carrying
passengers returning to work after the holidays.