Two people have been killed after trains operating under the Tanzania-Zambia Railways establishment derailed and crashed over a bridge in Southern Highlands of Tanzania.
A statement from the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) in Dar-es-Salaam, affirms here that the two lives were lost after a fatal accident involving two of their locomotives.
“The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) deeply regrets to announce the tragic loss of two train drivers following a fatal accident involving locomotive numbers 1016 and 1030,” reads the statement.
The trains’ accidents occurred at approximately 03:00 hours on Easter Monday, the 21st of April 2025, at Bridge No. 262, located around 885.5 kilometres outside the Mbozi District in the Songwe Region, of Southern Tanzania.
The deceased names are David Siwale and Cosmas Chileshe, both being locomotive drivers working for the TAZARA establishment.
The two locomotives involved in the tragic accident, happened to be defective and were travelling light without cargo from Chozi in Zambia, heading to the Mbeya Workshop in Tanzania for repairs.
However, the two engines unfortunately derailed along the way and capsized at the bridge in Songwe, amid ongoing heavy rains.
Emergency and rescue services, including the police and fire brigade, according to the TAZARA statement, promptly responded to the scene upon receiving the report of the accident.
Unfortunately though, upon arrival at the scene of the trains’ accident, the rescue teams found both drivers already dead, having been killed on the spot due to what is being described as the impact of the heavily damaged locomotives.
“The loss of lives is deeply regretted. Both the Governments and the respective families have been informed. TAZARA extends its heartfelt condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of the deceased during this difficult time,” the statement maintains.
Meanwhile the management of the Tanzania-Zambia Railways Authority has launched Investigations to probe the cause of the two locomotive crashes.
TAZARA trains have frequently been involved in a series of accidents due to mostly ageing infrastructure and old engines.