KINSHASA, Congo - Officials in Congo say a freight train has derailed in the country's southeast, killing at least 30 people.

Government spokesman Lambert Mende said Wednesday that the death toll could be much higher. It is common in Congo for people to jump onto freight trains for a free ride.

A union official, Fernandez Tshibondo, said the train jumped the tracks Tuesday near the station at Katongola, a town in Congo's Katanga province.

The cause was not immediately clear, and Mende said an investigation has been opened.