Nine Killed, 25 Injured in Zimbabwe Bus–Train Collision

Nine people, including two children, were killed and 25 others injured when a passenger bus collided with a goods train in Zimbabwe’s Chiredzi district. Authorities said the bus driver failed to stop and check for an oncoming train before crossing the railway line. The injured were taken to hospital while investigations into the crash are ongoing.

At least nine people, including two children, were killed and 25 others were injured after a passenger bus collided with a goods train in southern Zimbabwe on Tuesday, according to authorities.

The accident occurred on Mbizi Road in the Triangle area of Chiredzi district. The passenger bus, identified as a Makuku Bus, was travelling from Chikombedzi to Masvingo when it attempted to cross a railway line and ended up directly in the path of an oncoming goods train.

A spokesperson for the National Railways of Zimbabwe, Andrew Kanambura, explained in a statement that preliminary information showed the bus driver failed to stop at the railway crossing to check for approaching trains. He said this failure amounted to a breach of railway safety regulations, which require drivers to ensure the track is clear before crossing.

The collision resulted in a severe impact, leaving multiple passengers dead at the scene and several others seriously injured. Emergency responders were deployed to the site of the crash, and the injured victims were transported to nearby hospitals for urgent medical care.

Zimbabwe Republic Police spokesperson Paul Nyathi confirmed that the death toll included seven adults and two children, while 25 injured passengers were receiving treatment at hospital facilities. Authorities have since begun investigations to determine the full circumstances that led to the crash.

The tragedy has added to growing concerns about transport safety in the country, particularly at railway crossings where accidents continue to occur due to non-compliance with safety rules.

The incident also comes less than a week after another fatal transport accident in Zimbabwe, in which a minibus carrying schoolchildren caught fire in the central region of the country, killing seven people. The back-to-back incidents have renewed calls for stricter enforcement of road and rail safety measures to prevent further loss of life.