Dozens left dead or injured after coal train hits truck

A CARGO train loaded with coal has collided with a truck carrying farm workers at a crossing in eastern South Africa, killing at least 24 people, officials said yesterday.

At least 25 others were injured in the accident in Mpumalanga, an eastern province. Authorities were struggling to count all the injured yesterday.

“The accident was messy,” said spokesman Thulani Sibuyi.

Eleven of the victims died at the scene, two on the way to hospitals and the others perished in different health facilities.

The final death toll, however, might still rise.

The owner of the truck is being questioned by the police. It appears likely that he crossed the tracks and misjudged the distance to the arriving train,
officials said.

Traffic accidents with high death tolls are common in South Africa, and often are blamed on negligent drivers and badly-maintained roads.

In 2010, a man driving 14 children to school evaded barriers at a crossing near Cape Town and a train crashed into it, killing 10. The driver was convicted of murder in the deaths of the students and attempted murder in the case of the four surviving children. He was jailed for 20 years.