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Train crashes are common
in Tunisia, where much of the rail network is dilapidated, but Tuesday's
accident was the deadliest in recent memory ©Fethi Belaid (AFP)
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At least 17 people were killed and 70 injured when a rush
hour passenger train hit a lorry and derailed at an unmarked crossing south of
Tunis Tuesday morning, officials said.
Most of the dead were
passengers on the train, which hit the lorry around 60 kilometres (40 miles)
south of the capital, the transport ministry said.
"The toll is
currently 17 dead and around 70 injured," Mongi Khadhi, a spokesman for
the emergency services told AFP.
AFP report continues:
The interior ministry
said the train was en route to Tunis from Gaafour, 120 kilometres to the
southwest.
The collision happened
near El Fahes at around 6:30 am (0530 GMT).
Transport Minister
Mahmoud Ben Romdhane, who initially blamed both the train and lorry driver for
going too fast, said the accident happened because there was no barrier at the
crossing.
"The main cause of
the accident is the non-existence of a barrier... and protection at the
crossing," he told radio Shems-FM.
"In Tunisia, there
are 1,150 rail crossings. Only 250 are equipped with signal posts and barriers
and only 150 have lights. This is insufficient."
An AFP journalist
confirmed that there were no markings at the crossing, near the village of
Tabika.
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Blood stains, bits of
clothing and abandoned footwear left by passengers could be seen on board the
train itself ©Fethi Belaid (AFP)
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Train crashes are common
in Tunisia, where much of the rail network is dilapidated, but Tuesday's
accident was the deadliest in recent memory.
The presidency said it
had called for an inquiry "to determine the cause of this
catastrophe."
The injured were taken to
hospitals in El Fahes and Zaghouan, and the scene of the accident was visited
by the interior and health ministers.
Witnesses spoke of
mangled wreckage at the scene and dead bodies strewn across the tracks.
"A very loud noise
woke me up. At first I thought it was an earthquake but then I saw this
overturned truck and the bodies. Two bodies had their legs ripped off,"
local resident Habib Fayedh told AFP.
- 'Bits of flesh everywhere' -
The lorry driver,
originally reported to have been killed, survived the collision and was
questioned by police before being taken to hospital, Fayedh said.
"He was alive but
had head injuries. He didn't remember the crash."
Another witness described
how bodies had been trapped under one of the carriages, which had overturned on
impact.
"This is horrible;
there is blood and bits of flesh everywhere," one witness told Shems-FM
radio.
Witnesses said some
victims were thrown from the open doors of the train as it ploughed into the
lorry.
Blood stains, bits of
clothing and abandoned footwear left by passengers could be seen on board the
train itself.
One resident said
Tuesday's crash was not the first accident to happen at the Tabika crossing,
and also blaming a lack of barriers for the collision.
In July, a train derailed
in the country's northwest, killing five people and injuring around 40.
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