At least 5 dead in Victoria Falls train collision

At least 5 dead in Victoria Falls train collision

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By Staff Reporter

AT LEAST five people were killed Sunday in Zimbabwe when a passenger train collided head-on with a goods train near the resort town of Victoria Falls, state radio reported.

Bodies were charred beyond recognition in the accident that occurred early Sunday, 30 kilometres outside Victoria Falls, the radio said.

At least five people died at the scene of the accident and property belonging to passengers was lost in the inferno, which claimed at least eight coaches and two train engines, the radio said.

The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) passenger train was on its way to Victoria Falls from the city of Bulawayo. The driver of the passenger train ignored warnings by the oncoming freight train, the radio said citing unnamed sources.

The rail link between Bulawayo and Victoria Falls, which marks the border between Zimbabwe and its northern neighbour Zambia, has proven treacherous in recent years.

In 2003, a head-on collision between a passenger train and a freight train killed 50 people. In May, a passenger train derailed on the same stretch of railway, injuring 34 people.

Rescue teams reportedly took a long time to reach the scene of Sunday's accident due to the poor state of the roads, the report added.

The injured were taken to Victoria Falls hospital - dpa
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