JOHANNESBURG, Oct. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- A failure in the signals system was believed to cause a collision between two South African passenger trains on Wednesday night, which led to at least 250 injuries but no death, the authorities said on Thursday.

    Five people were critically injured when two trains, the Trans Karoo express and the luxurious Blue Train, collided head-on near De Aar, the Northern Cape, on Wednesday night.

    Local police said 74 people aboard the hotel-on-wheels and 182 traveling in the Trans Karoo express were injured in various degrees. Most appeared to have escaped serious injuries.

    At least two Japanese tourists were among the injured, the SAPA news agency reported.

    The Blue Train, which was ahead of schedule, had been stationary at the time of the collision, around 23:30 (2130 GMT) on Wednesday, and the Trans Karoo was traveling slowly.

    The Trans Karoo was apparently diverted onto the same track and the two met head-on, the SAPA said.

    Chris de Vos, general secretary of the United Transport and Allied Trade Union, told the news agency that he was informed that the accident resulted from a failure in the signals system and the absence of a back-up system to prevent human failure. Enditem