A train crashed into a truck in north-eastern South Africa on Friday, killing 26 people, mostly farmworkers, officials said. Paramedics said 26 people were injured. Nineteen people were declared dead at the scene, and the toll has continued to rise.
Police spokesman Leonard Hlathi said the truck driver had been arrested.
Safety officials visited the site and said adequate safety measures were in place, and it appeared the driver had ignored the signs. The truck driver, who was at a level crossing, did not stop as the train was approaching, police officials and witnesses said. The vehicle, carrying 49 farmworkers, was dragged more than 100 metres.
"We heard the train hooting but the driver didn't stop. Then I heard a big boom," Christopher Lubusi, a survivor, told local broadcaster SABC from his hospital bed.
The workers were transported in a container-like space on the back of a flatbed truck, with no windows or view of the events around them. The practice is generally outlawed, though there is an exception for farmers. The incident took place in Mpumalanga province, near the Kruger National Park game reserve.
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