A terrifying accident unfolded on Friday when a luxury Rovos Rail train, carrying tourists from various countries, collided with another locomotive in Zimbabwe.
The crash, which occurred while the train was en route to the famous Victoria Falls, left several people injured and caused severe damage to the train’s carriages.
The luxury train, which operates between Pretoria and Victoria Falls, was struck by a freight train.
The authorities and the company responsible for Rovos Rail confirmed the incident, but initial reports were unclear on the cause of the collision.
Tourists Safe but Crew Members Injured
According to Liezl Maclean, the spokeswoman for Rovos Rail, there were no injuries reported among the tourists aboard the train at the time of the crash.
However, she did mention that some passengers were kept under observation as a precaution.
On the other hand, four crew members were injured in the collision, and they were immediately attended to.
Maclean told AFP that the luxury train service was aware of the injuries to their staff but had no updates on the condition of the passengers.
Local Sources Report Higher Injury Numbers
However, a local rail employee, who chose to remain anonymous due to restrictions, revealed that the total number of injured individuals had risen to 18.
Of those, 14 were reportedly taken to Gwanda Provincial Hospital, while the remaining four were admitted to Mater Dei Hospital in Bulawayo.
Unfortunately, it was unclear how many of these injuries were passengers, crew, or even workers from the freight train involved in the accident.
The total number of people involved in the crash was still being determined.
Heart-Stopping Images of the Aftermath
Pictures shared on social media after the incident showed emergency crews rushing to the scene.
One particularly harrowing image showed a man being carried away on a stretcher, passed through a narrow gap in the mangled roof of the wreckage.
The crash occurred near the southern town of Gwanda, a place often used by tourists traveling between South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The Rovos Rail train was traveling with 47 foreign tourists on board at the time, all of whom were on a luxury journey to Victoria Falls.
About Rovos Rail and Its Routes
Rovos Rail, established in 1989, is renowned for offering luxury train safaris through some of Africa’s most scenic landscapes.
The company runs trips from Cape Town to Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania, and their Victoria Falls journey is a popular choice, covering over 1,400 km from Pretoria in South Africa to Bulawayo in Zimbabwe.