/ 17 October 1999

FOUR KILLED, DOZENS INJURED IN TRAIN CRASH

FOUR people were killed and 20 people injured when a Metro Rail suburban train hit a stationary goods train on a track between Crown and New Canada stations near Maraisburg, on the West Rand, on Friday afternoon. “The goods train was waiting for the signal to change so that it could proceed, at about 3.40pm, when the Metro Rail train hit it,” a Johannesburg traffic department spokesman said. On Friday police were using sniffer dogs at the scene of the crash to search for survivors and were using a crane to lift the carriage and free the bodies. 13 passengers were treated for injuries. On Saturday five people, including a child, were still in hospital in a stable condition. Transport Minister Dullah Omar is investigating the accident.