FIFTEEN people are feared dead after a light canter truck was hit by a train in Kafue last evening less than 24 hours after 19 people died in a road clash in Mazabuka on Monday morning.
Zambia Police spokesperson Charity Chanda confirmed in a post on social media that five people died on the spot but witnesses say more bodies were retrieved at the scene.
“Five people have died, 14 seriously injured while three sustained minor injuries in an accident which happened between 1830 hours and 1900 hours at the rail crossing in Kafue.
Among the seriously injured is a thief who tried to steal from the scene of accident,” Ms Chanda said.
According to eye witnesses, the light truck overtook other vehicles on the rail crossing that were waiting for the train to pass. The driver failed to stop after discovering that the train had already reached the road crossing point. The truck was hit in the trailor and dragged leaving many people and their animals likes goats seriously injured and others dead.
Early in the day 19 people died when the Fuso Fighter truck they were travelling in rammed into the Shoprite building in Mazabuka.
Among the dead are 10 men, six women and three children of various ages.
Southern Province police chief Mary Chikwanda confirmed the accident which happened around 01:00 hours yesterday.
Ms Chikwanda said in an interview that the truck, registration number ACT 2439, was being driven by Kabaso Mwenya from Lusaka heading to a fishing camp in Monze area.
Mr Mwenya is among the people that died on the spot, while some bodies of the victims were mangled.
According to witnesses, the vehicle was loaded with fridges, mealie meal and other goods which passengers, mostly fish mongers, use in their fish business.
The witnesses also disclosed that some money was discovered tied in a plastic bag at the scene of the accident.
Ms Chikwanda said the driver, whose wife also perished is believed to have been speeding resulting in him failing to negotiate a corner and hit into the building.
Part of the building has been razed due to the impact.
“The accident happened around 01:00 hours and several people died among them 10 men, six women and three children,” Ms Chikwanda said.
Ms Chikwanda further said that about five people sustained serious injuries, mainly broken bones, and were admitted to Mazabuka General Hospital.
Some of the bodies of the victims have been identified, while others were still waiting to be identified.
She appealed to members of the public to help the police and hospital authorities to identify the bodies.
The 23 passengers on the truck are believed to be residents of John Laing Township in Lusaka and were heading to Lonchinvar fishing camp.
President Lungu expressed sadness over the deaths when he visited the Copperbelt yesterday.
Vice-President Inonge Wina, who was in Livingstone for the official opening of the fourth general assembly of the Association of African Public Services Commissions, yesterday observed a moment of silence for the accident victims.
Very sad indeed may there souls rest in peace.
This is sad for our country. May the souls of our departed brothers and sisters rest in peace.
I know that bend by the traffic lights near shoprite, the driver must have really been speeding to fail to negotiate it heading straight into shoprite building.
Govt and RTSA must act to save lives that are needlessly being lost on our roads every day.
We must also have emergency response services in place to deal with such disasters
atleast its 15 and not 16
Thanks
BB2-14
I am terribly saddened, this is a tragic waste of human life!
I told you people that its is extremely wrong to name a machine like train after Sata.
Amalibu… May God have mercy on us sinners.
The thief that was injured doesn’t have my sympathy. My condolences and prayers are for the families of the dead and injured.
0:100 hrs in the morning. The driver must have been tired. There have always been endless accidents on that slope toward Shoprite Mazabuka. The Council tried to install traffic lights to mitigate the accidents but alas the situation has remained the same. Besides, I tend to wonder at what speed the drive could have been moving along that road to cause such a fatal accident? May the souls of our departed brothers and sisters rest in peace.
time has nothing to do with tiredness, what if the guy slept the whole day knowing he will be travelling at night.
It was in April 1993 when we lost the national team in air crush and it was in April again when more than 50 miners died at Chambeshi mine and I think it was in April when we lost the Kawambwa school boys. We need serious prayers people.
We keep praying, they keep dying, that is our motto! We should pray even more so that more people may die oh no it is for so they may not die, wait but how about all these praying we have been doing? Just pray & stfu, gee some people, just effing pray, I said just pray & shut ya gob, priick!
19 people dead here, 15 dead there, 20 more next week, extra. By the end of the year you have hundreds, if not thousands, dead! Presumably, most of these people are leaving behind children and other orphaned relatives to grow up without a mother, a father, an uncle, an aunt, or principal breadwinner in the family. And Govt is NOT alarmed by such statistics?
These accidents are mostly caused by too many irresponsible and ill-qualified drivers on Zambian roads today. A direct result of years of corrupt practices by our police who should be enforcing traffic laws no matter what. And the road dept who seems to have failed to issue driving licenses based on merit.
C’mon now people, someone in Govt needs to take their job seriously and do something about this problem!
Public Inquiry or Inquest ….. simple!!
Let us pray for those who have lost their loved ones. This is very sad. Drivers, especially PSV ones are very careless indeed.
APRIL HAS BEEN DEADLY since time in memory in ZAMBIA more so on roads. Ask grandfather and mam. sad indeed.
All the people who are dying are being sacrificed by the President who was supposed to have died this year. So he went to South Africa and consulted Sangoma who told him to sacrifice 100 people within the month of April 2015.
Watch the space, more people will die this month in road carnage than any other month. Ignore my advise at your own peril.
Prayers are needed to avert this, otherwise the president has sacrificed a lot of Zambian Lives to replace his eminent departure.
For you people who are traveling this month, be careful and ensure that you pray before your journey.
You believed the propaganda that the president spent the whole one week in South Africa in Hospital. The truth is that he also consulted Ng’anga who told him to sacrifice to avoid dying.
I thank you.
@pastor Richard, you are next to die if your stupid post is to go by.
Every “road/rail crossing” is supposed to have a barrier. That is “standard practice”. All over the world.
Where are you “Dr” Atanga. Busy chewing the Eurobond proceeds while innocent people die?
Don’t blame the month…blame the careless drivers.there is nothing sinister about these accidents.both occurred due to human error.the fuso driver was overspending.the canter driver wasn’t patient enough to wait for the train to pass.he thought those ahead of him were silly to wait t
For the train? Let’s just admit that pa Zambia twalibilima pa road.we want to show other road users that wa are sharper than them…especially those who drive tuma bmw…
Sad to lose a soul in whatever situation! A question of careless driving is worrying in Zambia. I have seen tu ma spacio “pushing” trucks to get out of the way. Uona chabe ako kapita in between trucks with full blast lights on! As for mazabuka truck/vehicles can be diverted after albinos. Thru neganega via lubombo to avoid that steep junction.
@ Careless Whisper
That would the best solution to that problem at that junction! I can’t imagine a fuel tanker ramming into Shoprite after people are paid. That would be a calamity! And your Garry Nkombo is busy using profanities in Parliament and threatening the nation with resignations instead of looking into this long over due problem of Mazabuka!…malabishi bati!
I come from the UK and my niece is a paramedic, and she sees her fair share of such disasters. The carnage is horrific!
There is a tendency for certain categories of driver to speed and put the lives of their passengers at risk. That is unforgivable!
For example:
Q: How many times do we passengers of long distance buses or coaches complain about being in fear of their lives? A: Frequently
Vehicle failures do occasionaly contribute but driver error and excessive speed are so often the main contributers.
Lessons must be learned from these horrific incidents – one of which a close friend of mine was nearly involved in.
We all have a responsibility to think on these matters, to drive more sensibly and improve safety.
I feel for all those involved and their loved ones!
Additionally – a review (and passing of a law) regarding market stalls within a close distance of level crossings. They’re
a distration and shouldn’t be allowed!
P.S. The same thing applies to large lit-up signs at major road junctions – e.g. Longacres, X-Roads, Kabulonga. They’re a
distraction to drivers too. Whoever allowed them to be put up needs their head examining!