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| Fatal railway crash in DR Congo | Fatal railway crash in DR Congo |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| More than 60 people are reported to have died in a train crash in central Democratic Republic of Congo. | |
| Scores of people are believed to be injured, some of them trapped under carriages that overturned when the brakes failed late on Wednesday night. | Scores of people are believed to be injured, some of them trapped under carriages that overturned when the brakes failed late on Wednesday night. |
| UN helicopters have brought medics to the crash site, 170km west of Kananga in West Kasai province. | |
| Accidents are common on DR Congo's colonial-era rail network which has had little maintenance since 1960. | Accidents are common on DR Congo's colonial-era rail network which has had little maintenance since 1960. |
| Fear | Fear |
| UN mission spokesman Kemal Saiki told Reuters news agency 68 had died, with 128 seriously injured. | |
| The BBC's Arnaud Zajtman in Kinshasa says the driver of the diesel locomotive has fled, fearing retaliation from villagers. | The BBC's Arnaud Zajtman in Kinshasa says the driver of the diesel locomotive has fled, fearing retaliation from villagers. |
| Rail officials say when the brakes failed, the train, which was carrying goods and passengers, picked up speed. | Rail officials say when the brakes failed, the train, which was carrying goods and passengers, picked up speed. |
| Seven of the 10 carriages then overturned. | Seven of the 10 carriages then overturned. |
| DR Congo's railway was built under Belgian rule more than 100 years ago. | DR Congo's railway was built under Belgian rule more than 100 years ago. |
| Originally, trains were used to transport copper from the mines of the southern province of Katanga to the country's main port near the Atlantic Ocean. | Originally, trains were used to transport copper from the mines of the southern province of Katanga to the country's main port near the Atlantic Ocean. |
| Since then the copper route has changed, and the mineral is now transported to ports in South Africa. | Since then the copper route has changed, and the mineral is now transported to ports in South Africa. |
| No longer essential for the transportation of minerals, the rail network's refurbishment has not been high on the agenda of Congolese authorities, our correspondent says. | No longer essential for the transportation of minerals, the rail network's refurbishment has not been high on the agenda of Congolese authorities, our correspondent says. |
| But in a vast country with less than 500km of roads, planes and trains are only means of transport. | But in a vast country with less than 500km of roads, planes and trains are only means of transport. |