/ 22 April 2010

Runaway luxury train claims lives

Runaway Luxury Train Claims Lives

A runaway luxury Rovos Rail train carrying several foreign tourists derailed near Pretoria on Wednesday, killing two women.

Both were employees on board the privately owned train, which apparently ran away while its electric locomotive was being changed for a steam locomotive at Centurion station.

One of the women was pregnant, said Netcare 911 spokesperson Chris Botha. She went into labour immediately after the accident, possibly from the force of the impact. Neither she nor her baby survived.

“We don’t know how far advanced her pregnancy was,” Botha said. “But the foetus was very small.”

Rail officials told passengers and crew to jump from the train after applying the brakes failed to work, reported Associated Press.

“I screamed at the others to tell them to jump off,” said Rovos Rail train manager Joe Mathala. “I jumped off while it was moving.”

Five people on the train were critically injured, nine sustained serious injuries and 35 minor injuries.

There were 55 passengers on the train, mostly foreign tourists, and 30 workers, Rovos Rail managing director Rohan Vos said late on Wednesday.

Before the steam locomotive could be coupled, the rest of the train “went into motion and ran away …,” the Railway Safety Regulator said in a statement.

The train derailed at 11.30am outside the Blue Train depot in Pretoria, said spokesperson Lawrence Venkile.

The coaches were piled on top of each other and debris was strewn over a large area, emergency workers said.

ER24 spokesperson Werner Vermaak said injured people were strewn all over the scene. Others were trapped inside the wreckage and had to be cut free using hydraulic instruments.

One of the critically injured was airlifted to the Eugene Marais Hospital in Pretoria. Other injured passengers were taken to at least three hospitals in and around Pretoria.

Concern over safety issues
The train, which fell on its side across the railway tracks, closed the line between Centurion and Pretoria.

Initial estimates were that it could take three days or more to clear the scene, while the investigation into the cause of the accident would take about five days.

Firefighters, police and sniffer dogs remained on the scene late on Wednesday.

The Democratic Alliance in Gauteng said the accident raised concern over safety issues, especially ahead of the Soccer World Cup, which starts in 50 days.

DA Gauteng transport spokesperson Fred Nel said it was “imperative that all rolling stock and railway lines are inspected ahead of the World Cup to ensure that all fans using rail will have safe and uneventful journeys …”

Transport Minister S’bu Ndebele sought to calm fears over transport preparations for the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

Ndebele said a team of investigators had been sent to the scene to determine the cause of the accident.

“We want to assure South Africans, as well as our international visitors, that this accident is an isolated incident,” Ndebele said in a statement.

“[It] does not have an impact on the integrated transport plan that the Department of Transport is in the process of operationalising ahead of the 2010 Fifa World Cup.”

Rovos Rail was established in 1989 and offers “unique train safaris through the heart of Africa”, according to its website. The company runs two trains with a passenger capacity of 72 each. — Sapa