/ 16 August 2000

SEVEN DIE IN KENYAN TRAIN SMASH

A TRAIN derailed in western Kenya, killing at least seven people and injuring 38 others, railway officials said. ”About seven people have died but there may be more,” said Eric Kathanga, public relations officer for the Kenya Railways Corporation. Kathanga said the train had come off the rails near Lela, a halt station about 400km northwest of the capital Nairobi, but it was too early to determine the cause of the crash. ”It was raining hard at the time of the accident,” he said. A rescue team and an engineering team to investigate the cause of the crash have been sent to the scene. He said it was possible that people could still be trapped inside the train, which was probably carrying around 400 people. – Reuters