Tunisia train collision leaves dozens injured

The accident happened at 9.30am local time in the Jbel Jelloud area of southern Tunis

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At least 65 people were injured in a collision between two trains in the Tunisian capital, officials confirmed on Monday.

"The injured were taken to hospitals and there were no deaths," civil defence spokesman Moez Triaa told AFP. He said one train contained passengers while the other was empty.

Most of the injured were suffering from fractures, none of them life-threatening, Mr Triaa said.

Train collision in Tunisia leaves scores injured

The scene of the train collision accident in Jbel Jelloud area in the south of Tunis, Tunisia, 21 March 2022.  Two passenger trains collided, resulting in the injury of 95 people, according to Civil Defense spokesman Moez Treaa.   EPA / MOHAMED MESSARA

The accident happened at 9.30am local time in the Jbel Jelloud area of southern Tunis.

The cause was not immediately clear.

Several deadly crashes have taken place on Tunisia's ageing railway system in recent years.

At least five people were killed and more than 50 injured in late 2016 when a train slammed into a public bus before dawn near the site of Monday's crash.

The previous year, the North African country experienced one of its worst railway disasters, with 18 people killed when a train hit a lorry and derailed at a level crossing south of the capital after a signal failure.

Updated: March 21, 2022, 5:12 PM