A passenger train smashed into a derailed coal train north of Sydney early Friday with nine people including a woman being hospitalized.
The crash occurred at about 6:30 a.m. when the passenger train hit the coal train at Hexham, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) north of Sydney, said a spokeswoman for train company City Rail.
According to New South Wales state Ambulance office, 30 people were checked by ambulance staff, nine of whom were taken to a hospital. One woman had suspected spinal injuries and the eight others had minor cuts and abrasions.
Police started an investigation into the cause of the accident.
( July 12, 2002)
