At least seven people died late Sunday in Lubidi southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) after cargo train derailed.
DRC Ministry of Transport confirmed on Monday that three of the cargo train’s eight cars derailed at about 7:00 p.m. local time, in Lualaba province, the same area where 75 people lost their lives in another derailment.
Lubudi administrator Clementine Matanda confirmed that fourteen others were severely injured in the latest derailment.
The toll could rise because a large number of clandestine passengers were trapped under the upturned wagons, he said. A rescue team had been dispatched to the scene.
A local official from the national railway company SNCC said the eight-wagon train was travelling from Tenke, in Lualaba, to Kananga, in the neighbouring province of Kasai-Central.
It left the rails in Buyofwe, around 200 kilometres from Kolwezi, the provincial capital of Lualaba.
Transport Minister Okende Cherubin has promised to set up an independent inquiry to look into the immediate and remote causes of the repetitive accidents.
Train derailment and accidents are often reported in this part of the country, due to poor conditions of locomotives and dilapidated rails.
