There was an electric spark in the motor coach on the driver’s side,  spokesperson Lesedi Mapheto said.

“As a result of that spark commuters panicked and they jumped off the train.

“It was about 82 people who jumped off the train,” he said.

This was in contrast to the 120 people paramedics said had been injured.

Mapheto said paramedics had provided incorrect information on Friday night.

At the time Netcare 911 said about 120 people had been injured when they jumped from the train which allegedly had a system failure in its brake system.

The train did not crash or derail.

The incident took place around 19:00 in Ennerdale, south of Johannesburg.

Botha said about 120 had sustained minor to serious injuries. They were treated on the scene before being transported to nearby hospitals.
However, Mapheto said 82 people were injured and taken to various hospitals.

Of the 82, six were kept overnight for further observation. The rest were discharged on Friday.

“The cause of the incident is not known as this stage besides the fact that there was an electrical spark,” he added.

Experts were busy with an investigation and the findings would be released as soon as they were ready.

Prasa apologised to commuters for any inconvenience caused and said it would ensure that something like this did not happen again.

Mapheto urged commuters not to panic when on the trains as a dedicated team was on board to help in any situation.