A high-end South African locomotive transporting international visitors was Zimbabwe On Friday, an Easter train crashed into another locomotive, causing some carriages to derail and resulting in injuries to multiple passengers aboard. This was reported by both the railway operator and a local rail worker.
Four team members of the Rovos Rail train, which was going from Pretoria to the tourist hotspot of Victoria Falls , were hurt in the collision with a freight train in Zimbabwe, the luxury service’s spokeswoman Liezl Maclean told AFP.
“There were no injuries in terms of the guests that we are aware of,” she told AFP, adding some were under observation.
Admitted to hospital
However, an employee from the nearby railway service, who requested confidentiality as they were not permitted to talk to journalists, stated that the overall count of those hurt stood at 18.
He said 14 of them were admitted to Gwanda Provincial Hospital, and four to Mater Dei in Bulawayo.
He didn't clarify how many were passengers or crew members, or whether the total included anyone who was hurt on the freight train.
Images shared on social media showed rescue workers carrying a man on a stretcher through a gap in the mangled roof of the wreckage.
The event that took place in Zimbabwe’s southern town of Gwanda involved a collision between the Rovos Rail passenger train and a freight train managed by the Beitbridge Bulawayo Railway service.
At least 47 tourists were on the Rovos Rail train at the time of the accident, according to Maclean.
Initially, the cause of the accident remained unclear.
Established in 1989, Rovos says it offers “bespoke train safaris through the heart of Africa,” with trips from South Africa’s Cape Town to Tanzania’s coastal city of Dar Es Salaam.
The Victoria Falls package includes a trip spanning three or four nights covering a distance of 1,400 km, starting from Pretoria in South Africa and ending at Bulawayo, which is the second largest city in Zimbabwe.
When was the last time you went on a train journey?
Feel free to share your thoughts by commenting below, or reach out via WhatsApp. 060 011 021 1
Subscribe to The South African website’s newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X and Bluesky for the latest news.
By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse