A shuttle train ran off its rails in Morocco on Tuesday morning, killing at least seven people and injuring nearly 80 others.
The train derailed about halfway between the Moroccan capital Rabat and the town of Kenitra, and at least one wagon toppled over in the crash.
According to Reuters, state-owned railway operator ONCF said investigations into the incident are currently underway.
The incident took place in Sidi Bouknadel, located 10 kilometers north of Rabat, leaving at least seven people dead, including the train's engineer. The causes of the deadly crash are yet to be revealed.
"We heard a gigantic explosion. The earth shook and the sound was unbearable. I rushed to see what happened. It was horrific. Disfigured bodies all over the place, blood and body pieces," Mourad El Kbiri, who owns a cafe near the site of the crash, recalled in a talk with The Associated Press.
Emergency workers and rescue teams rushed to the scene to help the injured, rescue trapped survivors, and transport those in need of medical care to hospitals in nearby cities.
According to a medical source who spoke with Reuters, "Some people lost their arms and legs in the accident."
In an official statement, Morocco's King Mohammed VI expressed his condolences to those affected and ordered an investigation into the crash. >According to the royal court, the king will pay the deceased victims' funeral and burial fees.
He also reportedly plans to visit wounded victims at the Mohamed V Military Hospital in Rabat.
The accident comes during the final stage of ONCF's plan to launch a high-speed train between Casablanca and Tangier by the end of 2018. The national railway operator had received a $92 million loan from the French Development Agency (AFD) to fund the last phase of the project, Morocco World News reported.