A security guard burnt to death when a freight train hit a cash-in-transit van at a level crossing in Virginia on Thursday, Free State police said.
Warrant Officer Malebo Khosana said fire and rescue workers had to use the Jaws-of-Life to remove the guard's body from the van.
He said that when the train hit the van, a load of timber in one of the carriages caught alight.
A passenger in the van, the train driver and his crew were all taken to a local hospital.
A case of culpable homicide had been opened.
Khosana said a pistol belonging to one of the guards was allegedly taken by three men who were the first to arrive at the accident scene. The cash boxes in the van were not tampered with. - Sapa