Officials in Chile say at least two people were killed and nine others injured early Thursday when a passenger train collided head-on with a cargo train running just outside of the capital, Santiago.
Chile’s state railway company, EFE, said in a statement that a passenger train conducting a speed test collided with a cargo train operated by private rail firm Fepasa.
EFE said the eight-car Fepasa train was carrying 1,221 metric tons of copper as well as several passengers.
The company said the injured test train crew was receiving medical treatment. Local media report that law enforcement has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the crash, which vaulted one boxcar on top of a car from the other train.
The Associated Press reports that authorities have not identified the two people killed. The nine injured include four Chinese nationals, who were receiving treatment at hospitals near the crash site in San Bernardo.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
