39 Dead, 130 Injured In Montenegro Train Derailment

(RFE/RL) 23 January 2006 -- A Montenegrin official says 39 people were killed and 130 injured when a passenger train derailed and plunged into a steep ravine about 15 kilometers from the capital, Podgorica.

Deputy Prime Minister Miroslav Ivanisevic said the death toll could go higher. Among the injured were some 75 children.

Ivanisevic said the government will do all it can to investigate the cause of the accident.

Early reports said brake failure may have been to blame when the train jumped the track. The train was carrying about 300 people.

Police and firefighters are working into the night at the site of the accident, hoping to rescue more people trapped under the wreckage.

(compiled from agencies)