Written by: Badr Ahmed

At least nine people, including two children, were killed and 25 others injured in a tragic accident on Tuesday in Zimbabwe, when a freight train collided with a bus at a railway crossing in the southern town of Triangle, police and the national railway authority said.

Authorities explained that the accident occurred at a railway crossing in Triangle, a town known for sugar production, when the bus attempted to cross the tracks as a freight train was approaching the site, resulting in a violent collision that left several victims dead and injured.

Zimbabwean police are investigating a train accident that left several dead and injured.

Zimbabwe National Railways spokesman Andrew Kanambura said initial investigations indicate the bus driver failed to comply with required safety procedures at the crossing, as he did not stop to check that the track was clear of incoming trains before crossing, which is a clear violation of safety regulations in place on railway lines.

Kanamboura added that rescue and ambulance teams rushed to the scene of the accident immediately after it occurred, and the injured were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment, while the authorities continue their investigations to determine all the circumstances of the accident and identify those responsible.

Images circulated by local media showed the extent of the damage to the bus, which appeared completely wrecked next to the railway line, with large parts of its structure torn off and debris and metal fragments scattered around the site.

This incident follows a series of deadly road accidents in Zimbabwe recently. Less than a week ago, a minibus carrying schoolchildren caught fire in the central part of the country, killing seven people. Last month, a collision between a bus and a truck left ten dead.

Zimbabwe faces significant road safety challenges, with the Road Safety Authority reporting a traffic accident approximately every 15 minutes, resulting in an average of five deaths and 38 injuries per day. Authorities maintain that human error is responsible for approximately 941,000 road accidents in the country.

These figures reflect the scale of the challenges facing the transport and public safety sector in Zimbabwe, amid growing calls to strengthen road safety measures and tighten controls on crossings and roads to reduce recurring human losses.