Seven injured in Rhodesfield train explosion
There were close to 300 commuters on the train that was travelling from Pretoria to Johannesburg.
The explosion occurred in this high tension cabinet. A female guard, who was inside the cabinet, jumped out of the moving train.
Seven commuters were injured when an explosion occurred on a Metrorail train at Rhodesfield Railway Station on Tuesday morning, Kempton Express reports.
According to disaster and emergency management services spokesperson Eric Maloka there were close to 300 commuters on the train travelling from Pretoria to Johannesburg.
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“The train was approaching the station when an explosion took place in the High Tension (HT) cabinet,” said Maloka.
“There was a female guard in the cabinet who jumped out of the moving train.”
It was previously reported that the guard was, in fact, the conductor of the train.
The incident happened around 10.30am and in less than 10 minutes the fire brigade was already on scene to assist. The grass on the side of the station caught fire as a result of the explosion.
The grass next to where the explosion occurred caught fire.
The metro’s ambulance service paramedics treated the guard before transporting her to hospital for further observation.
“The guard sustained head injuries, lacerations on her chin and eye-lid, as well as abrasions on her body. She was taken to Arwyp for further treatment,” said Maloka.
“Out of the seven patients, three were women and four men. One commuter sustained serious injuries while the others were walk-in patients.”
Commuters wander around at Rhodesfield Railway Station after an explosion on the train they were travelling in on Tuesday morning.
The patients were treated and transported to hospital by ER24 and Netcare 911.
Another train was organised to transport the commuters to Johannesburg.
Kempton Express also spoke to Corrie Breytenbach, who lives opposite the station.
“I was walking home when the incident happened. Although I was a bit far, I saw a white flash at the back of the moving train,” said Breytenbach.
“My mother was home and said the flames came very close to the fence. She told me she heard a loud bang and they also saw a white flash.”
The metro police and police were also on the scene.
Capt Jethro Mtshali, spokesperson for Kempton Park SAPS, said: “We will wait for Metrorail’s report of what caused the explosion and take it from there.”
Parts of the HT cabinet was covered in soot and the smell of fire was still strong hours after the incident.
Prasa has not yet responded to comments regarding the incident.
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