A three year-old girl from Chire area outside Beit Bridge was crushed to death by a goods train, while she was playing along a railway line, police have confirmed. The incident occurred at the 44.5 km peg along the Beit Bridge-Rutenga railway line on Thursday last week.

Local police spokesperson Insp Tinaye Matake said the victim, Miriam Medora and two other girls, Esther Moyana and Patricia Muti, aged eight and nine respectively, were playing along the Beit Bridge-Rutenga railway line when the incident occurred.

He said the train hooted several times to scare the three girls, but only Patricia and Esther managed to run away, leaving Miriam seated on the railway line. Matake said the goods train could not stop and crushed the girl to death, while the other girls watched the horrific incident helplessly from a distance.

He added that her remains were taken to a local hospital mortuary for an autopsy while police were still conducting investigations into the accident.

Matake urged parents and guardians to be wary of where their children play, adding that they should always keep an eye on them, especially when they stay close to roads and railway lines.