Dete railway accident

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In the Dete railway accident on February 1, 2003, passenger train No. 14 and freight train No. 33 of the National Railways of Zimbabwe collided head-on in the western entrance of Dete station , Zimbabwe . Up to 50 people died.

Starting position

On the single- track Bulawayo – Victoria Falls railway line , operational safety was ensured with signals . However, these had been out of order for a long time, as the desperate economic situation in the country, repeated theft of copper cables and vandalism made it impossible to repair them. Instead, the train was driven on written driving orders in consultation between the engine driver and the central traffic control of the railway . However, this was not done in the relevant section of the route because, as the Minister for Transport and Communication, Witness Mangwende , justified in front of Parliament , the relevant section of the route was located in the Hwange National Park .

On the route, a freight train was traveling east from Thomson Junction , which also carried tank cars with fuel . The entrance to the Dete station was given verbally for the freight train. The passenger train from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls came from the opposite direction . About 1100 passengers traveled in this . Due to the disregard of safety regulations, he also received verbal clearance to exit the Dete station.

the accident

The trains collided in the area of ​​the western exit of the station, 11 passenger cars derailed and some of them overturned. Tank cars were also damaged, fuel leaked, ignited, and the debris began to burn.

consequences

Around 50 people died, 64 were seriously injured, and many more were slightly injured. Since the civil defense was on the spot very quickly, many people were able to be freed from the rubble before the fire spread to them. Both trains burned out completely. The victims were cared for in Hwange's hospital .

As a result, the government wanted to equip the crews of the trains with radio equipment, which should be used to ensure train safety.

literature

Remarks

  1. ↑ Depending on the source, 46–50 fatalities are named.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Protocol: " This [the procedure to drive with a written driving order] was however not followed since the section under consideration is within a Game Park ". [sic]
  2. ↑ a b Protocol.

Coordinates: 18 ° 37 ′ 11.5 ″  S , 26 ° 51 ′ 5.2 ″  E