A couple from Makhado Village outside Beit Bridge town was fatally crushed by a speeding passenger train while taking a nap on the tracks along the Beit Bridge-Bulawayo railway line, police have said.

The local police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Trust Ndlovu, said the incident occurred on Friday, February 20, at around 05:00. “The victims, who are husband and wife, were actually waiting for the Bulawayo-bound train at a station in Makhado Village. During that time, however, they had decided to take a nap on the tracks, hoping to be woken up by the sound of the train as it approached,” he said.

While the two were fast asleep, the train arrived at a high speed, resulting in the two being crushed by the speeding train.

The woman was crushed to a pulp and died instantly while her husband later died at Beit Bridge District Hospital after sustaining a deep cut to the forehead.

“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 incidents in which lives are lost. Of late, we have been getting similar reports of people having been hit by speeding trains and therefore we continue to warn people,” said the police spokesperson.

Recently, another local man escaped death by a whisker after he was hit by a speeding goods train while sitting on the tracks. However, he lost both feet as a result of the accident, which occurred along the same railway line.