By ARNALDO VIEIRA

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At least 17 people were killed and 12 others injured Tuesday in a crash involving two trains at Bibala municipality near Munhino in Angola's Namibe Province, an official confirmed.

One of the trains belonged to the Mocamedes railways Caminho-de-Ferro de Moçâmedes (CFM) while the other was a Chinese-owned railway maintenance machine.

CFM head Daniel Quipaxe said the two drivers, one Angolan and one Chinese, were among those killed.

The Angolan news agency Angop quoted a source saying the CFM authorities might have failed to issue an alert about the Chinese conducting routine railway maintenance.

No fatalities

Mr Quipaxe added that the fatalities could rise owing to the number of the those critically injured.

The Tuesday accident was the second since the beginning of the year on the 260km line between Lubango and Mocamedes.

Another train derailed in February, but no fatalities were reported.

Namibe Province is located on the southern coast of Angola, and bordered by Benguela and Huila provinces to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west and River Cunene and the Republic of Namibiat o the south.