BRAZZAVILLE – A train derailed and plunged into a ravine in the Republic of Congo, killing about 60 people and injuring hundreds on a dangerous rail link in the oil-producing Central African state, officials said yesterday.
The accident occurred late on Monday night after the train left the coastal town of Pointe-Noire on the Chemin de Fer Congo Océan line to the capital, Brazzaville, a route that has seen at least two deadly accidents.
Some 60 bodies were recovered from the accident scene by midday yesterday and about 450 people were being treated for injuries.
The government said 48 bodies had been found overnight and the death toll was likely to rise.
“The number of dead is still provisional, because searches and operations to lift wagons which fell into a ravine are still ongoing,” said government spokesman Bienvenue Okiemy.
“In the light of the evidence on the ground, excess speed is the cause of the accident.”
Four of the wagons careered into the ravine near the station of Yanga, about 60km (40 miles) from Pointe-Noire, he said.
At least 50 people were killed on the same line in 2001, many of them burned to death, when two trains collided at Mvougounti around 75 km (37 miles) east of Pointe-Noire. – (Reuters)