Zambia’s railway authority on Wednesday said it is still waiting for confirmation of the number of people injured in a near-fatal passenger train accident on Tuesday.
Several coaches on a train carrying about 500 people derailed and overturned in the town of Mazabuka, about 200km south of Lusaka during peak travelling time.
Hundreds of passengers bound for various destinations in the Southern province were reported injured, according to the state-run Times of Zambia on Wednesday.
Railway System of Zambia (RCZ) managing director Babe Botana said he is waiting for a report from senior railway officials and a rescue team working on the scene.
Mazabuka health authorities confirmed having admitted more than 75 accident victims while others were being treated as outpatients, with serious cases referred to hospitals in Lusaka.
Ministry of Transport and Communication Permanent Secretary Bob Samakai said it is too early to determine the cause of the accident.
But District Commissioner Lameck Chiinda indicated that timber slippers along the tracks were rotten and had been in disrepair for some time.
Botana also said the RCZ has experienced numerous cases of theft and sabotage on railway tracks.
The train accident occurred at a time when road carnage in the country is soaring, with nearly daily reports of fatal road-traffic accidents.
Last Sunday, 70 people narrowly escaped death and some were injured when a coach overturned as its driver tried to beat a red light. — Sapa-DPA