Asleep on the line – permanently
 

Categorized | Mishaps Africa

ASLEEP ON THE LINE – PERMANENTLY

Posted on 26 February 2009 by Railways Africa Editor
- from The Chronicle (Bulawayo):


“A couple from Makhado Village under Chief Sitauze area in Beitbridge District was run over by a speeding passenger train while taking a nap on the tracks along the Beitbridge-Bulawayo railway line, police said yesterday. The Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Trust Ndlovu, said the incident occurred on Saturday at about 05:00.
“The husband and wife were actually waiting for the Bulawayo-bound train at a station in Makhado. However, during that time they decided to take a nap on the tracks, hoping to be woken up by the sound of the train as it approached, he said. However, while the two were fast asleep, the train arrived at high speed resulting in the couple being run over.
The police spokesperson said when the two were hit, they were pushed out of the railway line. The woman who was crushed to a pulp died on the spot while her husband later died at Beitbridge District Hospital after sustaining a deep cut in the forehead.
“Asst Insp Ndlovu could not release the names of the deceased, saying they were yet to notify their next of kin. ‘As police we continue to urge people to desist from the culture of either sitting or sleeping on the tracks to avoid the recurrence of such accidents in which lives are lost. Of late, we have been getting similar reports of people being hit by speeding trains’.
“Recently, a Mberengwa man escaped death by a whisker after he was hit by a speeding goods train while sitting on the tracks. He lost both feet as a result of the accident, which occurred on the 117km peg along the same railway line near Gwanda.”

It is a shame but how idiotic to sleep on a railway line i just cant understand the mentality of people.

ccmmick.