Human error caused a head-on collision by two trains in Chihuahua yesterday that killed a conductor and injured five other crew members, Ferromex officials said.

The trains collided about 1:30am on a stretch of track between the cities of Chihuahua and Ciudad Juárez. The conductor of the northbound train died, while five crew members from both trains were injured.

The collision sparked a fire that could be seen for several kilometers.

Investigations by the rail consortium indicated that the conductor of the southbound train erred by exceeding the authorized indicated speed limit and was running ahead of time.

Ferromex, with its subsidiary Ferrosur, is a private rail consortium that operates the largest railway network in Mexico with combined length of 12,070 kilometers.

Source: El Financiero (sp)