JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- South African train commuters, angry over poor service, burned at least 26 train cars near Johannesburg, causing an estimated $30 million in damage.
The arson followed service delays reportedly caused by technical faults, the BBC said Thursday. A shortage of trains caused services on one route to be suspended.
It was the second time in a week trains have been torched because of poor service. Earlier in the week, passengers burned four coaches after service delays apparently caused by the theft of electric cables.
Trains are used by many poor working South Africans who cannot afford cars. Each train typically carries about 1,000 passengers.
Thandi Mlangeni, spokeswoman for Metrorail, said a signal fault at Midway in southern Johannesburg had brought trains to a halt.
"Passengers started getting off the train and burning it," she said.
The disruption led to delays in the Kliptown and Nancefield regions of Soweto, where passengers also began to torch trains.
