One person has died and as many as 100 may have been injured on Monday afternoon after two passenger trains collided on the Thembisa line near Kaalfontein‚ east of Johannesburg.
ER24 spokesman Russel Meiring said paramedics from their company‚ along with numerous other services‚ arrived on the scene and found that the two trains had collided head-on.
The accident is believed to have happened at the rail split towards Tembisa and Oakmoor stations
"Numerous occupants had already begun to climb out of the train and were now scattered around the scene. It was discovered that roughly 100 people had sustained minor to moderate injuries‚" Meiring said.
"On further inspection‚ paramedics discovered a body lying trapped inside the wreckage. Unfortunately‚ nothing more could be done and the patient was declared dead on the scene."
He said rescue workers immediately set up a triage area to assess patients and assign the most appropriate treatment.
"Paramedics treated the patients on scene and thereafter transported them to nearby facilities for further care. Emergency services are currently on scene and will be for some time due to the number of patients."
The Emer-G-Med service‚ which is also on the scene‚ estimated the number of injured to be about 50.
- TMG Digital
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package. 