Johannesburg train commuters crushed dead

A stampede by commuters at a central rail station in the South African city of Johannesburg has left seven people dead, including two children.

Another nine people were injured in the accident.

A crowd of travellers trying to board a train at Park station on Friday evening had surged forward on a stairway in a bid to reach the platform before gates shut it off ten minutes ahead of the scheduled train departure time.

The BBC correspondent in South Africa says it appears that the gates were already shut and those at the front of the crowd were crushed.

An investigation is underway.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service