Passenger train collision kills 1 in Venezuela

Passenger train collision kills 1 in Venezuela

2011-09-30 18:34:59 GMT+7 (ICT)

CARACAS, VENEZUELA (BNO NEWS) -- One person was killed and more than a dozen others were injured on Thursday when two passenger trains collided in Venezuela, officials said on Friday.

The collision occurred Thursday morning at around 8 a.m. local time in a tunnel on the kilometer 21 marker of the La Rinconada-Valles del Tuy route involving trains operated by Tuy railroad systems, Venezuelan Transportation and Communication Minister Francisco Garces said.

Preliminary reports indicate that a malfunction in one of the trains forced the conductor to suddenly stop, causing another train to collide with it from behind. The impact threw the train off its tracks, forcing a third train on another track to make an emergency stop as well.

Garces confirmed the death of 27-year-old train operator Wilfredo Macero Manzano and the injuries of 18 others who were transported to medical centers in Charallave and Cua. In addition, rescue teams evacuated more than 4,100 passengers from the collided trains. However, unofficial reports indicate the real number of injuries was more than 100.

Combined emergency teams formed by the National Civil Protection, firefighters, and other institutions, rushed to the scene of the accident. A total of 70 ambulances, 70 rescue vehicles, and 70 other vehicles, as well as nine helicopters, were deployed to the scene.

Several hours after the crash, teams were still trying to clear out the route and Garces said the railroad system's operations was expected to return to normal during the weekend.

An investigation team has already been appointed to look into the incident, officials said, but an apparent electrical failure has been stated as the possible cause of the accident.

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