Very sad news!! very sad!! may their soul rest in peace.
40 Die As Trains Collide in Zimbabwe
1 hour, 50 minutes ago
By ANGUS SHAW, Associated Press Writer
HARARE, Zimbabwe - A crowded passenger train and a freight train collided head on and burst into flames Saturday in northwestern Zimbabwe, killing 40 people and injuring about 60.
Transport Minister Witness Mangwende blamed the crash on human error, saying a signal mistake sent the trains hurtling toward each other on the same track.
The signals on the remote stretch of rail line had been reported faulty since November, according to state television.
President Robert Mugabe sent his condolences.
The southbound freight train was carrying flammable liquid, and the passenger train was headed to the northwestern resort town of Victoria Falls. They crashed near the coal mining center of Hwange, about 190 miles from the western city of Bulawayo.
It was believed some passengers were carrying cans of gasoline on the train, state television reported. Acute shortages of fuel have led to black marketeering and the hoarding of gas in jerry cans.
Passenger trains in Zimbabwe have become increasingly crowded in recent months as acute fuel shortages forced many commuter buses, taxis and private cars off the roads.
About 1,100 people were in 13 economy cars on the train when it collided with the freight train about 3 a.m., state radio reported.
Many of the train cars were mangled. One lay on its side with the ends of two twisted cars on top of it. Several were burned, and firefighters worked to put out flames in others.
The railroad in western Zimbabwe is the main line to mineral rich neighbors Zambia and Congo, and Hwange is the hub for Zimbabwe's biggest coal mine.
A crash in the same area in 2000 killed 16 people and one in 1983 killed more than 20. A train derailed near Hwange last year after hitting an elephant, injuring 22 people.
"We must find out what is wrong in our transport network," provincial governor Obert Mpofu said.
Zimbabwe's economic crisis and its devastating shortage of hard currency have made it nearly impossible for the state railroad to import parts and maintenance equipment.
The state-owned Herald newspaper reported Friday that coal was piling up at the mine at Hwange, because there were not enough working freight cars to pick it up. The government has commandeered some working trains for distributing emergency food aid in the stricken nation.
40 Die As Trains Collide in Zimbabwe
1 hour, 50 minutes ago
By ANGUS SHAW, Associated Press Writer
HARARE, Zimbabwe - A crowded passenger train and a freight train collided head on and burst into flames Saturday in northwestern Zimbabwe, killing 40 people and injuring about 60.
Transport Minister Witness Mangwende blamed the crash on human error, saying a signal mistake sent the trains hurtling toward each other on the same track.
The signals on the remote stretch of rail line had been reported faulty since November, according to state television.
President Robert Mugabe sent his condolences.
The southbound freight train was carrying flammable liquid, and the passenger train was headed to the northwestern resort town of Victoria Falls. They crashed near the coal mining center of Hwange, about 190 miles from the western city of Bulawayo.
It was believed some passengers were carrying cans of gasoline on the train, state television reported. Acute shortages of fuel have led to black marketeering and the hoarding of gas in jerry cans.
Passenger trains in Zimbabwe have become increasingly crowded in recent months as acute fuel shortages forced many commuter buses, taxis and private cars off the roads.
About 1,100 people were in 13 economy cars on the train when it collided with the freight train about 3 a.m., state radio reported.
Many of the train cars were mangled. One lay on its side with the ends of two twisted cars on top of it. Several were burned, and firefighters worked to put out flames in others.
The railroad in western Zimbabwe is the main line to mineral rich neighbors Zambia and Congo, and Hwange is the hub for Zimbabwe's biggest coal mine.
A crash in the same area in 2000 killed 16 people and one in 1983 killed more than 20. A train derailed near Hwange last year after hitting an elephant, injuring 22 people.
"We must find out what is wrong in our transport network," provincial governor Obert Mpofu said.
Zimbabwe's economic crisis and its devastating shortage of hard currency have made it nearly impossible for the state railroad to import parts and maintenance equipment.
The state-owned Herald newspaper reported Friday that coal was piling up at the mine at Hwange, because there were not enough working freight cars to pick it up. The government has commandeered some working trains for distributing emergency food aid in the stricken nation.
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