JOHANNESBURG — A South African official says 18 people died when a passenger train slammed into a truck whose driver mistakenly thought he could cross the tracks in time.

Mthuthuzeli Swartz, acting CEO of the state-owned passenger rail agency, said Thursday that some who died were trapped in the train and burned to death when some carriages caught fire.

Transport Minister Joe Maswanganyi says about 260 people were injured in the crash in Free State province.

‘‘The truck driver was taking chances. He thought that he was going to pass through,’’ Maswanganyi told journalists. ‘‘Little did he know that the train was going to hit him. That has cost a lot of lives.’’

The train with 429 passengers aboard had been traveling from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg.

Video shows part of the Shosholoza Meyl train in flames after the collision that occurred between the communities of Hennenman and Kroonstad in Free State province.

Associated Press