By Hassan Isilow
JOHANNESBURG (AA) - At least four people were killed and dozens of others injured when a passenger train derailed and collided with a truck and another vehicle some 190 kilometers from the South African capital, Johannesburg.
News24 website quoted an emergency services spokesman, confirming the four fatalities in the incident in Kroonstad in Free State province.
Separately, ER24, a private emergency medical service provider, said in a Twitter post that at least 100 people had been injured, adding they were being treated at the scene and would be taken to nearby hospitals for further treatment.
Video footage of the incident posted on social media shows several train carriages on fire as passengers stood with their belongings across a road. A heavy smoke can be seen billowing in the air.
According to local media reports, the train was en route to Johannesburg from Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape Province. Most of the passengers were returning to work from holidays.
Provincial government officials were not readily available to comment on the matter.