Brazil train collision leaves 158 injured

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Two commuter trains collided in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro state, injuring 158 people, authorities said on Tuesday, January 6.

The accident occurred Monday around 8:20 pm (22:20 GMT) when one of the trains, which had stopped at a station, was rammed from behind by another train on the same track at Mesquita, 34 kilometers outside Rio de Janeiro, Rio state transportation chief Carlos Osorio said.

Rescue authorities said most of those hurt had suffered minor injuries, including cuts and bruises.

A spokesman told Agence France-Presse that seven people remained in hospital but their condition was stable.

Rio’s Supervia train service is the target of regular criticism from users who deride its often dilapidated infrastructure while its carriages do not have air conditioning even in the stifling heat of a Southern Hemisphere summer.

Around 620,000 people use the service daily as they commute in and out of Rio from outlying suburbs.

The operating company said it was investigating how the trains came to collide. — Rappler.com