Rail services to resume after deadly train crash
THE RAIL route that was the scene of a horrific accident between a truck and a passenger train has been cleared and full services are expected to resume today.
Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) confirmed one of its lines from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth was reopened from yesterday morning following the deadly level crossing accident that claimed 19 lives on Thursday.
Prasa spokesperson Dr Sipho Sithole said: “The rest of the coaches and the wreckage has been cleared with only one locomotive and four coaches still on the ground.”
On Thursday the train was enroute to Johannesburg from Port Elizabeth when it collided with a truck at a level crossing. Approximately 164 passengers were hospitalised and 19 others killed in that accident. Two passengers remain in hospital.
Yesterday, Free State SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Motantsi Makhele said: “The death toll in the accident remains a subject of speculation since its occurrence due to the condition of the bodies of the victims.
“Forensic tests on the extremities retrieved in the burnt train carriages were conducted on Friday, and by the end of the day it was confirmed that 19 bodies could be accounted for. These were eight men, five women, and four girls. Two were unidentifiable,” said Makhele.
According to Makhele, postmortems would resume soon and forensic experts from Pretoria have been roped in to assist with DNA comparison that will assist in identifying the bodies.
“The families will be informed of the central place where they will conduct the tests. In the meantime Prasa has established a 24-hour line, 011 544 9623, that families can call to enquire about their loved ones who were on board the train from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg,” said Makhele.
On the day of the fatal crash, buses were arranged to move 416 passengers from the scene of the accident to continue their journey.
Sithole said the chairperson of the Prasa board, Advocate Nana Makhubele, along with other board members, were at the site of the accident this weekend and have visited the injured in hospital.
The terrible train disaster has highlighted the dire state of the country’s train infrastructure, this according Democratic Alliance Shadow Minister of Transport Manny de Freitas .
De Freitas said in a statement: “For years the DA had requested Metrorail, an entity which falls under the Prasa umbrella state owned entity, to allocate a larger portion of their budget to maintenance. They have not.
“Had Metrorail followed basic safety precautions and ensured that the infrastructure was regularly maintained, the chances of this crash happening may well have been averted.”