The heavy rainfall that has lashed South Africa in recent days is believed to have caused the derailment of seven coaches of the Phelophepa II Healthcare Train near Adelaide in the Eastern Cape on Wednesday night.
Transnet spokesperson Ayanda Shezi said that the globally acclaimed healthcare train was en route to Mthatha as part of its planned 2022 community visits when it was derailed at around 6.05pm. She said heavy rains and flooding had impacted several parts of the rail network across the country.
“Initial indications are that the derailment is as a result of heavy rainfall in the area over the past few weeks, which may have affected the formation of the track,” Shezi said.
“The current heavy rains across South Africa have had an adverse impact on the rail network across many parts of the country, with parts of the network submerged under water in some provinces. A comprehensive investigation is being undertaken to establish the cause of this derailment,” she said.
A skeleton staff, comprising essential Phelophepa personnel, security officers and the train driver were on board the train at the time of the derailment. No fatalities were reported.
“One security guard sustained minor injuries and was treated on the scene by Emergency Medical Services. Transnet Freight Rail’s Incident Response Team and local law enforcement are currently on site to attend to the incident,” Shezi said.
The Phelophepa Healthcare Trains comprise two primary healthcare trains that have been providing quality medical services for the past 27 years across the South African landscape.
“Phelophepa I is unaffected and will continue with scheduled services as planned. Safety of all involved in the project, as well as our commitment to improve access to quality healthcare by communities, remains our top priority,” Shezi said.
She added that the health services of the Phelophepa II would be restored once the train was declared safe for operations.
