Train Kills 50 In DR Congo

At least 50 people have been feared dead after a train derailed in southern Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday.

According to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Steve Mbikayi, the accident happened around 3am local time in the town of Mayibaridi in Tanganyika province.

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Mbikayi added that the death toll was provisional, noting that 23 people have been injured in the accident.

“Speaking for the government, I present my condolences to the families affected,” he said on Twitter.

The minister further said rescue workers have been sent to the scene of the accident.

According to reports, railways in the DR Congo have a poor record for safety, hampered by poor tracks and decrepit locomotives, many of them dating from the 1960s.

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In March, at least 24 people were killed and 31 were injured when a freight train carrying illegal passengers crashed in the central region of Kasai.

In November last year, 10 stowaways were killed and 24 injured near the eastern town of Samba when the brakes failed on a freight train.

In November 2017, 35 people were killed when a freight train carrying 13 oil tankers plunged into a ravine in southern Lualaba province.

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