Two people were killed and 34 injured when an overnight train derailed in eastern Tunisia, the railway company said on Wednesday.
The accident occurred shortly after midnight when a train linking Tunis and Gabès (south) derailed on arriving in the town of Msaken, some 150 km from the capital.
The train driver was killed when the locomotive overturned at the entrance to Msaken station. Three cars then derailed, causing the death of a passenger and injuring 34 others, said the National Society of Tunisian Railways (SNCFT), in a press release.
Hospitalized, 28 injured were able to leave the establishment after receiving the necessary care. The other six must undergo additional examinations but their condition does not inspire concern, according to the same source.
“An investigation has been opened to elucidate the circumstances and causes of the accident and define responsibilities,” added the SNCFT.
This accident occurs 15 months after a collision between two trains in the south of Tunis which injured around 100 people in March 2022.
In December 2016, five people were killed and more than 50 injured in the same area when a public transport bus collided with a train, due to failing infrastructure.
Following this accident, the CEO of SNCFT at the time was dismissed.
Tunisia experienced in June 2015 one of the most serious railway dramas in its recent history, with the death of 18 people in an accident between a train and a truck in El Fahes, about sixty kilometers south of Tunis. The collision was caused by a signaling fault at the level crossing.
06/21/2023 13:14:30 – Tunis (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
