Soweto train crash: 852 injured

2011-05-21 14:07

Johannesburg - The injured toll of Thursday's train crash in Soweto has risen to 852, Johannesburg emergency services said on Saturday.

"We have consolidated numbers with emergency organisations and have ultimately established how many people were injured," said spokesperson Synock Matobako.

Many of the injured had been discharged from hospital. Injuries varied from head and spinal trauma to minor fractures.

Two trains collided in Meadowlands on Thursday but no deaths were reported. The cause of the incident was not known but authorities were investigating.

Gauteng Health MEC Ntombi Mekgwe was expected to visit some of the injured in hospital on Saturday.

Her first visit was scheduled at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, followed by Helen Joseph Hospital, and the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital.

"I would like to thank emergency workers who were at the scene of the train accident and assisted in stabilising patients," Mekgwe said in a statement.

"Health workers who provided medical care at the different hospitals helped to prevent a possible disaster."

- SAPA