A Port Elizabeth man who was travelling to Johannesburg to visit his son and grandson has described the moment a passenger train collided with two other vehicles on Thursday morning.

The Shosholoza Meyl train derailed and caught alight after colliding with a car and a truck near Kroonstad in the Free State at about 9am.

Officials at the scene have confirmed that at least 12 people died in the accident.

The man‚ a passenger on the train who did not want to be named‚ said he was “quite far” from the front of the train when it collided with the other vehicles.

“I did not see but I felt the impact‚” he said.

“I felt the train driver trying to brake twice before we crashed and went off the rails‚ but he did not succeed. He stood no chance...”

The man said the train had left Port Elizabeth at 3pm on Wednesday and the trip had gone well up until the time of the accident.

“Being on the train at the time of the incident was not pleasant at all‚” he said.

The man said his son had fetched him from the accident scene and that they had arrived safely in Johannesburg by Thursday afternoon.