Mozambique mourns train crash dead

MAPUTO, Mozambique -- The death toll in the Mozambique train crash continues to rise.

Fernanda Teixeira, secretary general of the Mozambique Red Cross, told CNN that estimates put the death toll at 120, with up to 350 to 400 others injured.

But later, Health Ministry officials were reproted as claiming the toll had passed the 200 mark.

"We have now received 205 bodies," Dr Yacoob Omar, a director at Maputo's main hospital, told Reuters.

Transport and Communications Minister Tomas Salomao had earlier told reporters that at least 117 people had been killed in the crash, before Health Minister Francisco Songane raised the figure to 193.

One passenger who survived the disaster said a derailment occurred after engineers separated goods wagons from passenger wagons to enable the train to scale a steep hill.

Radio Mozambique quoted police and fire department sources as saying the train had "technical problems" with its brakes.

At the scene, three passenger wagons were reduced to mangled wrecks and lay on the side and bodies littered the crash scene -- thrown out of the train on impact or crushed under the seats under the weight of cement or other goods, witnesses said.

The Portuguese news agency LUSA said the accident happened on Saturday morning near the town of Tenga in Maputo province.

Lusa said Radio Mozambique quoted police and fire department sources as saying the train had "technical problems" with its brakes.

The train was described as being made up of freight cars and passenger carriages.

The train was believed to have travelling on the Maputo-Ressano Gracia railway linking Mozambique with South Africa.

President Joaquim Chissano said in a statement: "At this time of tragedy, I express my heartfelt condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives.

"The government will mobilise all means at its disposal to assist the affected families, whose who have lost loved ones and those who are injured."

The cabinet announced a three-day mourning period from Sunday, and said in a statement flags would fly at half-mast.