Cargo train comes off the tracks in Africa's largest slum

Originally published on December 23, 2013

A cargo train derailed in the Kibera slum district of Nairobi, Kenya on Sunday morning. The cargo train was rolling through the area on its way to Uganda when on Sunday morning, the train derailed, falling on its side and crushing dwellings built too close beside the rails.

No deaths were reported but eight to ten individuals were rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital for treatment. When news of the derailment first broke there were fears the death toll could be high, as the area is generally heavily populated.

Local residents of Kibera told the BBC that the casualty list could have been much larger, but as the derailment took place on Sunday morning, many people had gone to church services or had begun leaving to return to their home villages for Christmas.

Kibera is one of Africa's largest urban slums, with a population of some 250,000. A local fire department spokesperson said the government had warned Kibera residents against building houses or structures too close to the train rails, but the warnings went unheeded.

As night fell on the Kenyan capital, heavy-duty cranes were brought in to lift the fallen rail cars while rescuers searched for any remaining victims.

Unconfirmed reports say people may have been trying to syphon fuel out of one of the cargo train cars, but whether that contributed to the accident is still being investigated.

In total, 10 people were taken to hospital with injuries, and reports say three of the victims were only slightly hurt.

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