The 47 guests who were on board a luxury train from South Africa when it was involved in a head-on collision near Gwanda in Zimbabwe yesterday have been flown from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls.

This is according to a statement sent to Caxton Local Media by Rovos Rail communications manager Liezl Maclean.

She says the crash, involving a cargo train reportedly from Beitbridge Bulawayo Railway (BBR), occurred at 06:30 on the BBR line.

“The cause of the accident is being investigated. We had 47 guests and 34 staff members on board. No injuries were sustained by our guests. Four staff members are receiving medical attention and are expected to recover in the next two weeks,” her statement reads.

The guests disembarked the train at 12:30 yesterday and were taken to a hotel in Bulawayo before flying to Victoria Falls earlier today.

According to the Rovos Rail website, the train departed from Pretoria.

“The two Rovos Rail locomotives and four damaged coaches will be returned to our headquarters in South Africa before the end of April,” she says.

Maclean notes that the company has travelled on the BBR line for over 20 years without any serious incidents.

“During our 36 years of operation, Rovos Rail has continued to comply with all rail safety regulations… We pride ourselves on the experience we provide our guests, which is underpinned by safety for all onboard. We sincerely regret this occurrence but, rest assured, the safety and well-being of our guests and staff are paramount.”

A Victoria Falls bound Rovos train carrying 47 international tourists collided with a BBR goods train outside Gwanda earlier today.
The injured have been taken to hospital.

How do trains collide on a mainline in 2025 ? pic.twitter.com/uLMxZ6hZAU

— Ndues boy (@ndues_boy) April 18, 2025

Caxton Local Media was unable to confirm how many BBR or other injuries were sustained. However, The Citizen published an article in which a railway official from the local service – who chose to remain anonymous due to a lack of authorisation to speak to the press – stated that there were 18 injuries.

The source did not provide a breakdown of whether those injured were passengers or crew, nor was it clarified if the figure included any injuries sustained by personnel on the freight train.

Maclean forwarded the Rovos Rail press release to Caxton Local Media, but did not respond to our additional questions, saying: “This is all the information we have available at present.”

Questions were sent to BBR, but no responses were received by the time of publishing.

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