MUTARE – A 23-year-old woman narrowly escaped death on Saturday after she was struck by a train while walking along a railway track in Mutare, wearing earphones and unaware of the oncoming locomotive.
The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) said the woman, identified as Lisa Shumba, was walking directly in the train’s path when the alert train driver, realising she could not hear the warning horn, threw a water bottle at her in a desperate attempt to get her attention.
The bottle landed in front of Shumba, startling her. She turned around just in time to see the train bearing down on her and leapt off the tracks—moments before being hit on the side by the locomotive.
Shumba sustained bruises to her knees and was treated and later discharged from hospital.
NRZ praised the “heroic act” by the engineman, who acted instinctively to avoid a fatality. The state-owned rail operator also issued a renewed warning to the public:
“We salute the engineman and appeal to members of the public to avoid walking on railway lines, especially when putting on earphones,” NRZ said in a statement.
The incident follows a spate of pedestrian-train accidents reported in recent weeks across the country. Authorities have raised alarm over growing disregard for rail safety, particularly among urban pedestrians who use tracks as footpaths or take calls and listen to music while walking near railway lines.
NRZ has urged increased vigilance and announced that it will intensify its public awareness campaigns on rail safety.
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