< p>At present, “the death toll is 61, men, women and children” and “52 injured have been evacuated,” Marc Manyonga Dabo, director of infrastructure at the Congo National Railways (SNCC), told AFP. ), by telephone from Lububashi.
He said the train was a freight train that, although banned, carried “several hundred smugglers”.
“Some bodies are believed to be trapped in wagons that fell into the ravines “, he added.
According to Manyonga, the train, which consisted of 15 wagons, 12 of which were empty, was coming from Luena, in the neighboring province of Ano Lomani, and was heading to the mining town of Tenke, not far from Kolwezi.
< It derailed on Thursday night at 23:50 in a village, about 200 km from Kolwezi, "at a point where there are ravines", in which 7 of the 15 wagons fell. "My team is working tirelessly to clear the way by Monday," Manyonga added. According to Congolese media, the governor of the province and the commander of the area where the train crash took place spoke of a temporary death toll of 60.
Train derailments are common in the DRC. . Congo, as well as the sinking of overloaded ships in the country's lakes and rivers.
Often, due to lack of passenger trains or good roads, passengers use freight trains to travel long distances.
