Ndola: Ndola central police station reported an incident of a Train derailment which occurred yesterday around 12:50 hours near the Kafubu River bridge rail crossing in Ndola.
The matter was reported by Edwin Choonga, aged 52, of house number 10 Independence Road in Ndola, the Northern and Inter mines Regional Manager for Zambia Railways, who reported that there was a train derailment near Kafubu river bridge rail crossing involving a Shunt movement train.
As per the reports, yesterday, around 13:02 hours, the reporter received a phone call from the Zambia Railways station Master for Bwana Mkubwa informing him that the train had run away from Bwana Mkubwa station heading to Ndola town Centre station strongly suspecting breaks failure.
Later on, the train was involved in a derailment near the Kafubu River bridge rail crossing, which was driven by Simon Nkhoma, who was alone.
The derailment happened after one wagon came off the rail line, hence causing other wagons to derail, and the locomotive derailed a distance ahead.
As the train ran away from Bwana Mkubwa, it coupled to the Impala train, which was going in the other direction, but at the time of coupling, the Impala train started going back to Ndola station, but it was caught up by the runaway train.
So far, about 20 wagons have capsized, of which six had carried sugar of different sizes and quantities meant for export by Zambia Sugar and 12 had coal.
The driver, Simon Nkhoma, sustained general body pains and is currently under observation at Ndeke Mini Hospital in Ndola.
However, the other two who were on the other train, Lyindunda Kenneth, the Impala locomotive train driver and Chimuka Nalube, also sustained some injuries and they have been rushed to Ndola Teaching Hospital.
Zambia Police and Zambia Railways officers are on the ground, keeping vigil on the goods after local people had started to loot the sugar. The rail line is completely ripped off at the point where the derailment happened.
