The worst rail disaster in Mozambique’s history occurred after a railroad worker unsuccessfully used four large stones to keep a packed passenger train from sliding down a hill, a railway official said on Sunday.
Meanwhile, funerals began for some of the 196 people killed in the crash, and health officials pleaded for blood donations for the 400 others who were injured.
The crash of a train carrying passengers and freight from South Africa happened about 5 am on Saturday near the town of Moamba, about 60 kilometres north of the capital, Maputo.
The train developed a mechanical fault as it descended a hill, so the driver disconnected the passenger section, at the back of the train, and drove the front section carrying freight to the nearby Tenga station, railway officials said.
The driver had wedged four large stones under the wheels of the passenger train to keep it from sliding down the hill, but the stones apparently came loose and the train barrelled down the tracks into the freight train, said Antonio Libombo, an official with the Mozambican Railway Company.
The collision resembled a large explosion and cement dust carried by the freight train filled the air, railway workers at the station said.
”An investigation is still under way,” Transport Minister Tomas Salomao said. ”But at first glance, the crash was caused by a human error.”
Rescue workers toiled throughout Saturday to free many victims who were trapped in the wreckage. By Sunday, all the bodies had been removed and the wreckage was cleared, Salomao told Radio Mozambique. Regular train service resumed and three trains had passed through the area by Sunday afternoon.
President Joaquim Chissano called the accident a national tragedy and declared three days of mourning. Flags around the country were lowered to half-staff and political leaders and civic groups sent messages of condolence to the families of the victims.
Touring the site of the tragedy, Chissano called on Mozambicans to unite in their grief and to wait for the investigation to conclude before placing blame for the crash.
”At this emotional time, people should not jump to conclusions, otherwise we may cause other problems for the (victims’) families and relatives,” he said.
Fatal railway crashes blamed on human error are fairly frequent in Mozambique, and Chissano demanded better training of railway personnel.
”Conductors should learn from mistakes like this, not only accidents in Mozambique, but around the world,” he said. Chissano asked Mozambicans to donate blood for the injured.
Centres were set up throughout the capital and by Sunday morning 450 people had donated blood.
However, government officials said much more was needed since Mozambique’s blood banks had been severely depleted even before the accident.
Funerals for some of the victims were held Sunday in Moamba and several border towns. Local civic organisations were helping with burial arrangements and many people in this impoverished southern African country had gathered money together to help buy coffins for the victims.
The railroad has also promised financial assistance to the families of those killed. The train can hold more than 1 000 people. Most of dead and injured were thought to be Mozambican.
Many of the injured were taken to the hospital in Maputo in private cars and some died along the way. – Sapa-AP