Four die in train collision

News
Four National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) crew members died in a horror crash on Friday night when two trains travelling in opposite directions collided head-on at Melfort near Bromley.

Four National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) crew members died in a horror crash on Friday night when two trains travelling in opposite directions collided head-on at Melfort near Bromley.

By Phyllis Mbanje

The place of the crash is about 30 kilometres from Harare and adjacent to the Harare-Mutare highway.

Two other crew members injured in the accident were rushed to Harare Hospital where they were treated and discharged. NRZ spokesperson, Fanuel Masikati said one of the trains was travelling towards Mutare and was carrying granite blocks while the other was pulling 16 containers.

He said the accident occurred around 8:20pm.

“Initially, we only discovered two bodies but we later found the other one buried under the rubble. The fourth [crew member] later died at Parirenyatwa Hospital,” said Masikati.

He said investigations to establish circumstances leading to the freak accident were now in progress.

“We wish to express our deepest sympathy to the families of the members who perished in the accident,” Masikati said.

When The Standard visited the scene of the accident yesterday, it resembled that of a bombed zone with debris strewn all over.

The two trains were locked in a macabre twist of metal and local residents were grappling to get to terms with the disaster.

Twisted chunks of the remains of the two trains were a terrifying testimony to the ugly crash and relatives and staff of NRZ could not contain their grief.