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CatastropheDemocratic Republic of Congo

Freight train derails in DR Congo, scores killed

March 12, 2022

Seven of 10 carriages of a freight train traveling in the southeastern Lualaba Province ended up in the ravine, leaving at least 60 passengers dead and several others injured.

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Passengers ride on the outside of a train traveling in the DR Congo in this picture from 2008
Passengers in DRC often illegally use freight trains as free transport (file photo)Image: Benoit Doppagne/Belga/imago images

A train crash in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed at least 60 people.

The train was running between the villages of Kitenta and Buyofwe in Lualaba Province in the south of the country on Friday when it derailed.

It came off the rails going up a slope, and then crashed.

"Seven of 10 carriages ended up in the ravine," Clementine Lutanda, the local administrator, told the DPA news agency, adding that there were still bodies trapped in the rubble.

The UN radio station Okapi reports that the passengers were illegally hitching a ride on the freight train.

Dozens were severely injured and taken to the hospital in nearby Lubudi.

Much of DRC's rail network dates back to the colonial era and has not been well maintained.

The DPA news agency contributed to this report.