/ 2 February 2009

Hundreds injured in Jo’burg train collision

About 160 commuters, including a pregnant woman, were injured when two Johannesburg-bound Metrorail passenger trains collided with each other on Monday.

The accident occurred between the Lenasia and Midway stations in the south of Johannesburg at about 7.15am, said Metrorail.

About 149 people were treated on the scene for minor injuries and the rest were taken to the Lenasia and Chris Hani Baragwanath hospitals.

Paramedics referred the pregnant woman for monitoring as a precaution.

The two trains were moving in the same direction when one rear-ended the other, Railway Safety Regulator spokesperson Kwazi Kwaza said.

Officials from the regulator and Metrorail were at the scene, said Kwaza. The damage to the train was not serious.

Buses were arranged to ferry commuters as the lines remained closed. Metrorail would assess the risk to determine when the service would fully resume.

A board of enquiry would be set up to investigate the cause of the accident. — Sapa