A 62-year-old homeless man in Bulawayo narrowly escaped death on Saturday morning after nearly being crushed by a moving train while sleeping on the railway tracks beneath the Luveve Flyover.
The victim, Everton Sithole, was admitted to Mpilo Central Hospital with head and leg injuries.
Inspector Abednico Ncube, spokesperson for the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) in Bulawayo Province, confirmed the incident to the Chronicle. He said:
The incident occurred on Saturday morning when a train driver employed by the Beitbridge-Bulawayo Railway, coming from Cement Siding and headed towards Mpopoma, spotted the victim sleeping on a rail track.
The engineman saw something that looked like a heap of garbage on the railway sleepers, but when the train was about two metres away, he realised it was a human covering his head with a cloth.
The victim immediately raised his head and was hit by the right side of the train bumper. The victim sustained head injuries and bruises on both legs.
The engineman managed to stop about 15 metres away from the scene of the accident. He then summoned an ambulance that ferried the victim to Mpilo Hospital.
Inspector Ncube reported that the man’s condition is stable and confirmed that a police report has been filed.
Andrew Kunambura, the public relations manager for the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), also confirmed the incident and expressed concern over the increasing number of train accidents involving people.
Five people were injured in eight separate incidents over five days between 19 and 23 October 2024.
Kunambura urged motorists to stop at all level crossings and only proceed when certain that there is no train approaching.
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