50 killed and multiple wounded as train derails in Congo

At least 50 people were killed and 23 injured in a train accident in the southeastern province of the Central African country, of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday.

According to foreign news agencies, the accident occurred due to the train being derailed from the track.

The Minister of Humanitarian affairs of the Congo Steve Mbikayi, confirmed the accident and said that the train accident happened at 3pm in the Mayibaridi area of ​​Tanganyika province in the southeast.

He also offered condolences to the families on their loss and expressed hope for early recovery of the injured.

According to Rescue officials, 50 people were killed in the accident while 23 people were injured and the number of casualties is likely to increase as people are now trapped in the train coaches.

Rescue officials said that the main cause of accidents these days is a poor railway system, meagre tracks, and faulty engines, some of which have been in use since the 1960s.

Earlier this year, a train accident occurred in March, leaving at least 24 people killed and 31 injured.

In November last year, 10 people were killed and 24 injured as a freight train crashed near the eastern town of Samba.

Similarly, in November 2017, a freight train containing 13 oil tankers in the southern Lalabah province crashed, leaving 35 people dead.