At least nineteen people have been killed after a train crashed into a truck carrying farm workers at a railway crossing in South Africa's northeastern Mpumalanga province, media reports citing local officials said Friday.
Officials were quoted as saying that the exact number of people killed in the accident are yet to be determined as bodies as well as body parts are strewn all over the track. They fear that the death toll in the incident may exceed 30.
It is understood that there were more than 50 farm workers on board the truck when the accident occurred. Local media reported that at least 24 people have been rushed to hospital for emergency medical attention.
Police have launched an investigation into the deadly accident. Some witnesses are blaming the truck driver for the accident. They say the driver had failed to notice the incoming train while attempting to cross the railway intersection.
According to media reports, the goods train involved in the accident was carrying coal to the Indian Ocean port of Maputo in Mozambique. Incidentally, Mpumalanga is one of South Africa's major coal-producing regions.
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