At least 14 people have lost their lives and 29 others sustained injuries following a train crash in eastern Ethiopia, local state media reported on Tuesday.
According to officials, the accident occurred around 2 a.m. along the 200-kilometre route from Dewele, a border town near Djibouti, to Dire Dawa.
Dire TV, in a statement posted on Facebook, confirmed the tragic incident, noting that “an accident that happened on the Dire Dawa-Dewele line has killed 14 people and caused serious and light injuries to 29 others.” The outlet, however, did not disclose further details about the cause of the crash.
Images shared by the state broadcaster showed several train carriages derailed, with some overturned and others badly damaged. Emergency services were seen at the scene, assisting survivors and retrieving bodies from the wreckage.
READ ALSO: Ethiopia Inaugurates Africa’s Largest Hydropower Dam Despite Egyptian Objections
Train accidents are uncommon in Ethiopia, a nation of about 130 million people.
However, the country witnessed one of Africa’s deadliest rail disasters in 1985, when over 400 people died and 500 were injured after a train travelling from Djibouti to Addis Ababa plunged into a ravine.
Authorities are yet to release an official statement on the cause of the latest crash, but investigations are reportedly underway.