South African luxury train crash injures dozens

JOHANNESBURG - Dozens of passengers, including two Japanese tourists, were injured when South Africa's luxury Blue Train smashed head-on into another train overnight.

The accident involving the Blue Train, which transports mostly wealthy tourists between Pretoria and Cape Town, occurred near De Aar in the semi-arid southern Karoo region.

Police said no one was killed. Local radio reported five people were seriously hurt.

"It was a head-on collision ... around 44 passengers and 30 staff on the Blue Train were slightly injured," said police spokesman Zandisile Makhuphula, adding most escaped serious harm.

The other train - the Trans Karoo express - was carrying 182 people, some of whom were also injured, he said.

The Blue Train is one of South Africa's top tourist attractions, transporting passengers across the country in old-fashioned luxury.

The train had been travelling to Cape Town, said Makhuphula.

The collision was caused by a signal failure, Sapa news agency said. No one at Spoornet, which operates the Blue Train, was immediately available for comment.

- REUTERS