Night of terror for tourists

2005-10-27 13:22

Johannesburg - Forty-four Japanese tourists were on the Blue Train when it was in a head-on collision with the Trans Karoo express at Deelfontein station in the Northern Cape on Wednesday.

Two of them were among the 10 injured, said John Dludlu, a spokesperson for Transnet.

"The Blue Train, carrying 44 Japanese tourists, was from Pretoria en route to Cape Town in the Western Cape, while the Shosholoza Meyl train was from Cape Town on its way to Pretoria," he said.

"Preliminary indications are that there are no fatalities. Ten people were injured. The bulk of those injured are Transnet staff. Those injured have been taken to hospital in the area."

Dludlu said the government, a shareholder in Transnet, has "now informed the Japanese government of the incident, including sharing with them the names of those injured".

Hunt on for black box

Transnet has begun to investigate the cause of the accident, Dludlu said, adding that more information would be released in due course.

Siyabonga Gama, Spoornet's chief executive officer, said "problems" with an electronic signalling system could have caused the collision which occurred at 23:07 on Wednesday.

"They are still looking for the black box that was on the Shosholoza to download information for a better understanding of what caused the accident," said Gama.

The number and extent of injuries was not immediately clear.

The engine of the Blue Train was pushed underneath its first coach by the force of the collision, Gama said.

"The drivers of the two trains had been hospitalised at De Aar. One of them is in a critical but stable condition," he said.

"Various employees on the Blue train were also slightly injured. One of them is still in hospital with broken ribs.

Gama said Spoornet had arranged buses to take passengers to their destinations, with the last four buses leaving the area at about 10:00.

The railway line in the Deelfontein area has been closed, Spoornet spokesperson Michael Asefowitz said.

- SAPA