BAGHDAD. Aug 7: A passen-St train crashed into a cargo ain in southern Iraq, killing and injuring many passengers, a newspaper said Thursday, reports AP.

One official said about 50 people were killed.

The passenger train bound for Basra in southern Iraq hit the freight train, which had stoppea after a mechanical breakdown, the weekly Al-Za-wra reported. The incident occurred last week near Simawa. some 300 kilometres (210 miles) south of Baghdad

The paper, which is owned by President Saddam Hussein's son Odal. did not give any ca-sualty figure, saying only many people were killed or injured.

But-an official contacted by telephone In Baghdad told The Associated Press in Cairo that about 50 people died and 150 others were wounded. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was the worse train accident in Iraq for years.

Al-Zawara said villagers rushed to the site in their cars to take wounded people to nearby hospitals. A railways Inspector told the paper that the crash occurred because the driver of the cargo train did not report his breakdown to nearby stations. 7