A passenger train travelling from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg collided with a truck at a level crossing, igniting an infernoA passenger train has smashed into a lorry at a level crossing in South Africa, killing at least 18 people, injuring 254 and throwing several carriages off the rails. Tiaan Esterhuizen, who had been travelling on the train as he returned from holiday, said he tried to rescue three women who were trapped in a burning carriage. One of the derailed carriages was the power generator – the car behind the locomotive that powers the rest of the train. Mthuthuzeli Swartz, the acting chief executive of the Passenger Rail Agency, confirmed that 18 people had been killed and 254 injured. The new year is a busy period for transport in South Africa, with railways and roads carrying passengers returning to work after the holidays.

Source: The Guardian January 04, 2018 15:00 UTC