Hennenman–Kroonstad train crash: A passenger train operated by Shosholoza Meyl collides with a truck on a level crossing at Geneva Station between Hennenman and Kroonstad, Free State, South Africa. Twenty people are killed and 260 injured.
Hennenman–Kroonstad train crash
On 4 January 2018, a passenger train operated by Shosholoza Meyl collided with a truck at a level crossing at Geneva Station between Hennenman and Kroonstad, in the Free State, South Africa. The train derailed, and seven of the twelve carriages caught fire. Twenty-one people were killed and 254 others were injured.
Shosholoza Meyl
Shosholoza Meyl is a division of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) that operates long-distance (intercity) passenger rail services. It operates various train routes across South Africa, carrying approximately 4 million passengers annually. Before 2009, Shosholoza Meyl was a division of Spoornet, but it was transferred after the formation of PRASA.
Hennenman
Hennenman is a town in the Free State Goldfields in the Lejweleputswa District Municipality of the Free State province of South Africa. The settlement is unusual for the district being supported by agriculture rather than the mining industry which is common in other towns.
Kroonstad
Kroonstad is a town in Free State, South Africa, consisting of the following suburbs: Brentpark, Constantia, Constantia Park, Dawid Malanville, Elandia, Gelukwaarts, Goedgedacht, Heuningspruit, Industria, Jordania, Koekoe Village, Kroonheuwel, Maokeng, Morewag, Noordhoek, Ou Dorp, Panorama, Phomolong, Presidensia, Prison Area, Seisoville, Suidrand, Tuinhof, Uitsig, Vooruitsig, West Park and Wilgenhof. Being the fourth largest town in the Free State, Kroonstad lies approximately two hours' drive along the N1 from Gauteng. It is the second-largest commercial and urban centre in the Northern Free State, and an important railway junction on the main line from Cape Town to Johannesburg.