Scores injured after trains collide head-on near Johannesburg

September 10th, 2010 - 7:51 pm ICT by BNO News  

ALRODE ALBERTON, SOUTH AFRICA (BNO NEWS) — Dozens of passengers were injured when two trains, one of them a passenger train, collided head-on in a town near Johannesburg on Friday morning, emergency officials said.

The accident happened near a Metro rail train station in the town of Alrode Alberton, not far from Johannesburg, said Netcare 911 spokesman Chris Botha. He said a total of 56 people were on the passenger train when the collision happened.

Botha said the accident involved a passenger train and a freight train which collided head-on, derailing at least several carriages. A photograph of the scene showed at least one carriage that had been completely thrown from the tracks.

A total of 31 people were injured when emergency workers arrived at the scene, including fourteen people who sustained serious injuries. Seventeen others escaped with only minor injuries.

“Miraculously, the rest of the passengers were uninjured in this horrific accident,” Botha added. “Medics stabilized the injured on scene and then transported them to various hospitals for further treatment.”

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

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