BRAZZAVILLE, (Reuters) – A train derailed and plunged into a ravine in Congo Republic, killing about 60 people and injuring hundreds on a dangerous rail link in the oil-producing Central African state, officials said yesterday.
The accident occurred late on Monday night after the train left the coastal town of Pointe-Noire on the Chemin de Fer Congo Ocean (CFCO) line to the capital Brazzaville, a route that has seen at least two deadly accidents.
Some 60 bodies were recovered from the accident scene by midday Tuesday and about 450 people were being treated for injuries, according to an official at the Adolphe Cisse hospital in Pointe-Noire who asked not to be named.
The government said 48 bodies had been found overnight and the death toll was likely to rise.