- Title: SOUTH AFRICA: TEN PEOPLE DIE IN RAND TRAIN CRASH
- Date: 31st July 1964
- Summary: 1. GV AERIAL V. DEBRIS OF TRAIN CRASH 0.06 2. LV MEN WORKING 0.16 3. CU ENGINE OFF TRACK PAN ALONG CARRIAGES TILTED OVER (3 SHOTS) 0.27 4. SV MEN OVER DEBRIS 0.32 5. SV MEN CLEAR WRECKAGE 0.37 6. SV DEBRIS 0.46 7. SV INT. WRECKED CARRIAGE 0.52 8. SV ONLOOKERS 0.54 9. LV WRECKAGE 0.57 10. AERIAL V. WRECKED TRAIN 1.09 Initials DS/S/WH/SGM Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 15th August 1964 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: RANDFONTEIN, SOUTH AFRICA
- Country: South Africa
- Reuters ID: LVA109J3WNGD2MRQG9LZ7J5T15LV
- Story Text: TEN WHITE PEOPLE, INCLUDING THREE WOMEN AND TWO CHILDREN, WERE KILLED WHEN A PASSENGER TRAIN LEFT THE RAILS NEAR RANDFONTEIN ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT (JULY 29).
ANOTHER THIRTY SIX PEOPLE, 22 WHITES AND 14 NON-WHITES, WERE INJURED IN THE SMASH.
THE TRAIN, WHICH WAS MADE UP OF SIX PASSENGER COACHES AND A FEW GOODS WAGONS, LEFT THE LINE AS IT ROUNDED A BEND. THE PASSENGER COACHES, OF AN OLD WOODEN TYPE, WERE SPLINTERED TO MATCHWOOD AS THEY TELESCOPED INTO ONE ANOTHER.
A FLEET OF THIRTY AMBULANCES FROM FIVE SURROUNDING TOWNS WAS SENT TO THE SCENE AND A FULL STAFF OF DOCTORS AND NURSES WERE CALLED ON DUTY AT THE KRUGERDORP HOSPITAL.
RAILWAY RESCUE TEAMS HAD TO WORK UNDER POWERFUL ARC LIGHTS AS THEY WORKED WITH CROWBARS AND OXYACETYLENE TORCHES TO CUT THEIR WAY THROUGH TWISTED METAL TO FREE THE INJURED.
AS THE RESCUE OPERATION WENT ON, OTHER WORKMEN BEGAN BUILDING A LOOP AROUND THE CRASH SCENE SO THAT NORMAL TRAFFIC BETWEEN RANDFONTEIN AND JOHANNESBURG 40 MILES AWAY (64 KMS) COULD BE RESTORED.
IN THE MEANTIME, SOUTH AFRICAN RAILWAY OFFICIALS HAVE OPENED AN INQUIRY INTO THE ACCIDENT, BUT HAVE RULED OUT A RUMOR THAT SABOTAGE CAUSED THE DERAILMENT.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
