Military help sought for S.Africa commuter violence
South Africa's commuter rail system may call in the military to bolster security after a gangs of men hurled passengers to their deaths from speeding trains, officials said on Tuesday.
Metrorail spokeswoman Thandi Mlangeni said an appeal to the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) was under consideration after two more Johannesburg passengers died on Tuesday after being thrown from moving trains, bringing the total number of deaths to 18.
"It is a national crisis," Mlangeni said. "The necessary protocol would have to be activated for us to get the defense force, but these are the options we are talking about."
The latest bloodshed on South Africa's violent commuter trains began last month when witnesses said a gang of men rampaged through a commuter train near Johannesburg, tossing six men to their deaths from moving cars.
The attacks have since been repeated on a number of occasions, in the Johannesburg area, where trains carry tens of thousands of commuters every day.
Some officials have linked the attacks to a strike by a security guards' union which has spurred protests, but union officials have denied their members are involved.
Gauteng provincial police spokeswoman Mary Martins-Engelbrech backed Metrorail's call for military help, saying overstretched police were unable to keep a lid on the escalating bloodshed.
Mlangeni said as an interim measure Metrorail was considering stopping service on certain lines and was advising those commuters who could to avoid taking its trains.
"What concerns us that we cannot safeguard their safety 100 percent," she said.
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23 Mai 2006 à 16:56 dans
- zsandf (anglais)
