2 trains collide in Rio de Janeiro suburb, 8 killed

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A speeding train carrying hundreds of commuters slammed into an empty train near Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, killing eight people and injuring more than 80, officials said. The commuter train was traveling at nearly 100 kilometers per hour when it slammed into the rear end of an empty six-car train maneuvering slowly from one track to another, the Supervia company that runs the train said. Some passengers aboard the commuter train had to be freed by rescue workers using blowtorches to cut through the twisted wreckage. The collision, about 200 meters from a station on Rio's poor north side, killed eight people, said Pedro Machado, commander-general of the Rio de Janeiro Fire Department.