Kimberley - The Shosholoza passenger train travelling from Johannesburg to Cape Town derailed early Wednesday morning outside Kimberley, injuring more than 100 people.
The incident happened just after midnight at Modderrivier, a small town next to the N12 highway about 32 kilometres from Kimberley. Seven coaches overturned.
Although details surrounding the cause of the accident are still sketchy, it is believed that work was being conducted on the stretch of rail where it happened.
Injured passengers were quickly assisted by Transnet personnel at the scene shortly after the accident and a fleet of ambulances were dispatched to transport the injured to the Kimberley Hospital Complex.
About eight ambulances from ER24, Netcare 911 and the provincial ambulance service had to make several trips between the crash site and Kimberley.
While most passengers only sustained light injuries, the driver of the train was thrown out and seriously injured.
One passenger, Ivy Taguta, a mother who was travelling with her two-year-old son, said she woke up when she felt the train shaking tremendously.
“I was sleeping at the time while my son was next to me on the bottom bunk. I woke up when I felt the train shaking ... it felt like it was going up and down. It was dark in the room and I tried to reach for my cellphone to make some light.
“I saw the phone lying on the floor and it then started to slide. The coach turned over and I grabbed my son. When we got to our feet we were standing on the window. There was dust everywhere and loud noises as people started screaming. The train kept on sliding along the ground.
“I felt like I could not breathe and just wanted to get out. The coach eventually came to a halt and I heard the woman next to me screaming for help. I also started screaming,” Taguta said.
“I heard a man saying that they were coming to get us out. The door was now on top and we had to crawl out. I was very worried about my baby, but we both managed to survive,” she said.
David and Susan Williams, who are visiting from England, said they never imagined that they would spend Susan’s birthday in a train wreck.
“We were asleep when it felt as if the train was hopping. We realised from the sound that it was making that there was trouble. The next moment it overturned and started to slide. We heard banging sounds and only later realised that it was the iron posts next to the side of the railway that were taken out.
“I hit my head on the ceiling and hurt my back because I was sleeping on the top bunk. The entire compartment was in chaos. And to top it all it is my wife’s birthday today, but it will be an unforgettable one,” Williams said.
DFA