US Tourists Injured, Hospitalized In SA
10 American tourists in the hospital after train crash in South Africa
Ten of the 40 American tourists who were on the Rovos Rail train that derailed near Pretoria were still in hospital on Wednesday night, the United States Embassy said.
Spokeswoman Sharon Hudson-Dean said in a statement that all the American tourists who were on the train had been accounted for.
US ambassador Donald Gips visited to the scene of the accident shortly after it happened.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the people impacted by this accident," he said.
"We want to thank the South African emergency response and others who assisted immediately, and we will continue working closely with South African authorities to help the affected Americans."
Two women who worked on the train died when it derailed near Pretoria station just before noon on Wednesday. One of them was pregnant.
Five people were critically injured, nine sustained serious injuries and 35 escaped with only minor injuries.
The train derailed when the coaches started moving while it was changing from an electric to a steam locomotive.
By late on Wednesday afternoon the railway tracks between Pretoria and Centurion were still closed.
It was expected that the clean-up operation would take at least three days.
The investigation into the cause of the accident would take five days.
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