Train crash: 15 still missing

Nineteen people have been confirmed dead in the horror Free State train crash but the death toll could rise even further after officials revealed yesterday that as many as 15 more people are still unaccounted for.

Daisy Daniels, spokesperson for the Shosholoza Meyl passenger train, said 15 people were still missing or unaccounted for following last Thursday’s accident at a rail crossing near Kroonstad.

Daniels was speaking at a walkin and call centre at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) headquarters, Umjantshi House, next to Park Station. The facility was established by the department of transport and Prasa to help those affected by the horror crash in which the train derailed after it crashed into a truck.

Prasa spokesperson Sipho Sithole said: “We have to deal with the deceased first ... We don’t know who the 19 are because of the state they are in ... We still have to find out through the DNA.”

Sithole said relatives will be taken to Kroonstad for the identification of bodies. Health authorities have said they will be ready to begin the process today.

The walk-in centre will help the injured with their claims and provide information about the deceased and how Prasa will help families identify the bodies.

“We are still processing who are affected and how they are affected; we can’t say much about paying hospital bills and funerals,” said Sithole.

Among those who were injured was Calvin Baloyi, 30. “I really don’t know what is happening with my mind anymore, I’m still shocked and I can’t concentrate anymore like I used to before the accident. I have lost my mind.”

The walk-in centre will be operational 24 hours a day.– ANA