Hennenman–Kroonstad train crash
| Hennenman–Kroonstad train crash | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Date | 4 January 2018 09:15 local time (07:15 UTC) |
| Location | Near Kroonstad |
| Coordinates | 27°49′19″S 27°8′4″E / 27.82194°S 27.13444°E |
| Country | South Africa |
| Line | Port Elizabeth - Johannesburg |
| Operator | Shosholoza Meyl |
| Incident type | Level crossing collision |
| Cause | Under investigation |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 |
| Deaths | 18 |
| Injured | 254 |
On 4 January 2018, a passenger train operated by Shosholoza Meyl collided with a truck on a level crossing near Kroonstad, Free State, South Africa. The train was derailed and seven of the carriages caught fire. Eighteen people were killed and 254 people were injured.
Accident
At about 09:15 local time (07:15 UTC) on 4 January 2018,[1] a passenger train, operated by Shosholoza Meyl, carrying 429 passengers, was travelling from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg when it collided with a truck on the Geneva Station level crossing between Hennenman and Kroonstad, around 200 kilometres (120 mi) south-west of Johannesburg.[2][3][4][3][5][6]
Witnesses stated that the truck failed to stop at the level crossing,[7][8] despite the train driver giving warning by blowing the horn. The truck, along with its two trailers, was dragged for around 400 metres (1,300 ft),[1] and a car being transported on the train[9] was also crushed by the derailed train.
The locomotive and twelve carriages of the train were derailed;[2] seven carriages caught fire.[10] Overhead electrical wires had snapped during the collision resulting in the fire starting.[11]: 9 The first responders were local farmers and their workers who rushed to the collision site with fire fighting equipment and began pulling people out of the burning carriages.[11]: 9 Eyewitness and farmer Willie du Preez, said that the fire began 10 minutes after the collision, with the first flames behind the locomotive which spread towards the derailed carriages and trapped passengers.[12]: 2 Nineteen people were killed[13] and 254 were injured.[2] At around 20:50 local time, the search and rescue was called off.[14]
The truck driver survived the collision and tried to flee the scene, but was arrested,[8] and taken to a hospital.[3] Police have opened a manslaughter case against the driver.[15]
Recovery operation
Police spokesperson Brigadier Sam Makhele said he believed all human remains had been recovered from the carriages on Friday afternoon with forensic workers believing they had recovered the remains of eighteen people.[16]: 3 Heavy recovery equipment was brought in by PRASA Rail, two days after the collision, to remove the debris from the crash site so that the railway line could be repaired and reopened.[16]: 3
Speculation
Farmer Willie du Preez said that the road to the level crossing follows the railway line before making a 90 degree turn to the crossing.[16]: 3 He claimed that there is a blind spot which prevents one, for a moment, from seeing on-coming trains as well as potholes in the road that slow vehicles speeds at the crossing.[16]: 3 He believed that the truck's cab and first wagon had crossed and the train struck the second wagon.[16]: 3
PRASA had not responded to a newspapers question as to whether the train was speeding as one passenger claimed he had joined the train when it was two hours late but the train had regained an hour at the time of the collision.[16]: 3
Investigation
South Africa's Minister of Transport Joe Maswanganyi announced that an investigation would be launched. Maswanganyi also said that "Police are investigating. The truck driver was taking chances... that cost lots of lives."[1][3] The Railway Safety Regulator is responsible for investigating railway accidents in South Africa.[17] The owner of the articulated tipper truck, Cordene Trading, expressed the firm's condolences to the victims and their families through the company's lawyer.[11]: 9
References
- ^ a b c Culbertson, Alix. "14 dead and up to 100 injured in South Africa train crash". Sky News. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- ^ a b c Mazuba, Ernest; Cowan, Kyle. "At least 20 dead in horror train crash‚ number expected to rise". Times Live. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Frantic search for survivors after South African passenger train collides with truck, killing at least 18 and injuring hundreds". Agence France-Presse. 4 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018 – via The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ "Railway Safety Regulator to release preliminary train crash findings on Monday". Business Day. 5 January 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ "Au moins 14 morts dans un accident de train". L'essential (in French). 4 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- ^ "14 dead, hundreds injured as train derails in South Africa (PHOTOS)". RT. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- ^ "Sanco slams 'shocking' loss of life in Free State train crash". Letaba Herald. 5 January 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ a b "South Africa train crash: Four dead in truck collision". BBC News Online. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- ^ "3 children, pregnant woman among those recovering after Kroonstad train crash". News24. 5 January 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ "Mop-up operations to resume after deadly Kroonstad train crash". eNews Channel Africa. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
- ^ a b c Cowan, Kyle (7 January 2017). "Screams of the dying haunt rescuers". Sunday Times (South Africa).
{{cite news}}:|archive-date=requires|archive-url=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ van der Walt, Alet (6 January 2018). "Getraumatiseerde werkerskno na treinramp nie slaap". Volksblad (South Africa).
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "Train and truck collision death-toll now at 19 #TrainCrash". Cape Times. 7 January 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
- ^ "Kroonstad train crash: Search and Rescue operations halted". News24. 4 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- ^ "Police open a manslaughter case against driver". Stuff (Fairfax). 17 January 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f van der Walt, Alet (6 January 2018). "Boer se oor blinde kol en vol gate by spooroorgang". Volksblad (South Africa).
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "Occurrence Investigation". Railway Safety Regulator. Retrieved 4 January 2018.