At least 644 passengers were injured, two critically, when two trains collided in Meadowlands, Soweto, on Thursday, Johannesburg paramedics said.
“We had a total of two men who were critically injured and airlifted to Charlotte Maxeke academic hospital, and 642 with minor and serious injuries,” Netcare 911 spokesperson Jeff Wicks said from the scene of the accident.
“[The increase in total injuries] shows the chaos of the scene. We had people who were sprayed 200m around the trains … on arrival, paramedics found passengers from both trains lying on the track,” he said.
Johannesburg emergency services spokesperson Synock Matobako said that about 150 of the injured were transported to hospitals in the area.
A South African Press Association reporter on the scene said that a moving train had seemingly hit a stationary train at the Phomolong station at about 5.30pm.
Sowetans rushed to the scene out of concern for possible injured relatives.
“I heard a loud bang while watching television and came rushing to see if any of my relatives were in the train,” said bystander Teko Peu.
He was expecting his sister to arrive by the train from work.
“I haven’t heard from her and I wonder whether she is among the injured.”
Passenger Gladwell Ntusi said he heard a loud bang and screams.
“People were screaming, some jumped out of the windows,” he said.
“It was horrible, I saw people with broken legs, other had cracked their temples … it was not a nice scene,” said a distraught Ntusi.
Martha Ngune, who lives near the station, said she was shocked by the accident.
“It is as if I am dreaming. How could the trains have collided head-on? Something must be done. Were there no signals to warn that the trains were on the same rail track?” she asked. – Sapa