PICS: Luxury Rovos Rail train from SA derails after colliding with freight train in Zim
It's reported that at least four crew members were injured when the train crashed into another locomotive in Zimbabwe, en route to Victoria Falls from Pretoria.
Interior of Rovos Rail train - Facebook
A Rovos Rail train derailed after colliding with a freight train in Zimbabwe on Friday, en route to Victoria Falls.
The luxury rail service was carrying international tourists to the destination hotspot.
It's reported that a number of carriages derailed and at least four people were injured in the accident.
AFP quoted Rovos Rail spokesperson Liezl Maclean as saying no guests were injured 'as far as they're aware'.
However, a staff member at the local rail service who spoke on condition of anonymity, put the total number of injured at 18.
Images posted on social media showed the extent of damage to the trains, and rescue workers attending to the injured.
A Rovos train headed for Victoria Falls, carrying 47 international tourists, collided with a BBR goods train near Gwanda earlier today. The injured have been taken to hospital.
— Crime Watch Zimbabwe (@crimewatchzw) April 18, 2025
📸@ndues_boy pic.twitter.com/XX9lFoQPUL
A Victoria Falls bound Rovos train carrying 47 international tourists collided with a BBR goods train outside Gwanda earlier today.
— ManFromNyasaland (@PhiriTofara) April 18, 2025
The injured have been taken to hospital. pic.twitter.com/E4e8ZvptcE
The collision between the Rovos Rail train and a freight train operated by the Beitbridge Bulawayo Railway service happened near the southern Zimbabwe town of Gwanda.
At least 47 tourists were on board, according to Maclean.
It was not immediately clear what had caused the accident.
Rovos Rail offers bespoke train safaris through various parts of Africa, which it says combine magnificent scenery 'with the glamour and excitement of the golden age of leisure travel'.
The journeys on offer range from 48 hours to 15 nights, in wood-panelled trains that are hauled by diesel or electric locomotives.