Train crash: taxi driver in spotlight

The taxi driver involved in the fatal KZN collision allegedly veered down an embankment onto the train tracks.

Durban - Fifteen people were killed when a minibus taxi was struck by a train north of Durban on Monday afternoon.

While investigations into the tragedy are continuing and details are not clear, it appears that the taxi took the offramp on the N2 near Shaka’s Head, shot through a stop street and then went down an embankment, landing on the railway tracks before being struck by a passenger train.

KwaZulu-Natal Road Traffic Inspectorate spokeswoman Zinhle Mngomezulu said: “A minibus which was fully laden was knocked by a train. The cause is that the taxi driver lost control, hit the guard rail and landed on the railway line.”

Apart from the 15 people who were killed, a further five were also injured. No one aboard the train was injured.

Mngomezulu said that authorities believe the taxi was overloaded.

A picture from the crash scene showed that three of the taxi’s wheels were intact while a fourth had absolutely no rubber and the rims were flattened.

Initially the death toll ranged between 13 and 15 dead, but as rescue operations proceeded it emerged that 14 people had died, but later a patient that paramedics were attending to also succumbed to their injuries.

The five injured were taken to various hospitals and were all described as being in a serious condition.

Hordes of people gathered around the accident scene as paramedics attended to the injured and the bodies were removed.

The only damage to the train appeared to be a door which was lying near the wreck of the red taxi.

Paramedics from Netcare 911, IPSS Medical Rescue, the KwaZulu-Natal provincial Emergency Medical Service attended the injured and certified the dead.

It was not clear if the driver of the taxi was among the dead or the survivors.

Metrorail spokesman Zama Nomnganga said he did not have all the details, but could confirm that no one aboard the train had been injured.

“There was no damage (to the train). For now the line is closed. It will have to be cleared,” he said.

Metrorail services between Durban and Stanger would be disrupted.

IPSS Medical Rescue spokeswoman Samantha Meyrick said the train stopped about 100 metres from the point of impact while Netcare 911 spokesman Chris Botha said accident debris was strewn about 200 metres.

KwaZulu-Natal premier Senzo Mchunu said he was shocked at the scale of the accident.

“This is very sad and horrifying news. The loss of so many lives and breadwinners is very concerning indeed,” he said.

Mchunu promised that a thorough investigation would be carried out by law enforcement agencies and the provincial transport department to determine the cause of the accident.

ANA