KWAZULU-NATAL. — A man was trapped under a Rovos Rail train at Canelands on Saturday evening for several hours after being struck by the train. The man sustained multiple injuries, including suspected fractures to his leg and shoulder.
Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) said in a social media post that the service was called for assistance at approximately 22:55. Reaction officers found the man beneath the stationary train. He was still breathing. Firefighting and rescue personnel later freed him, after which he was transported to a hospital. His identity had not been established at the time of the report.
Rusa said that according to train personnel, the driver saw the man sitting on the tracks, directly in the path of the approaching train. He reportedly sounded the horn several times to warn him, but the man remained on the tracks. Because of the short distance and the train's braking limitations, the driver could not stop in time to prevent the collision.
The train came to a halt thereafter, after which the man was found beneath it. Rusa has video material of the incident recorded by body cameras. The claim that the train was carrying tourists could not be confirmed.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
