Man Dies In A Train Crash
Innocent Selatlhwa | Monday January 21, 2019 13:33
Officer Commanding, senior Superintendent Paul Molapisi told The Monitor that South African police are the ones investigating the case.
“The accident occurred at no man’s land near South African Immigration offices at around 4pm. We do not know what really transpired, but South African police are handling the investigations and will later brief us,” he said.
Molapisi said they do not have more details on the matter, but a 10-tonne truck that was driven by a Motswana man collided with a train. He stated that both the train and truck were heading to South Africa from Botswana.
“We do not know what caused the accident. The deceased was alone in the truck and his names are still withheld until we have notified his relatives. We are currently looking for his next of kin,” said Molapisi.
“We do not know where he comes from in Botswana hence we are trying to locate the owner of the truck to help us with information,” he added.
The police chief said that the deceased was, at the time of writing still at a mortuary in Mahikeng, South Africa while investigations into the matter were ongoing.
On the other hand, Botswana Railways (BR) spokesperson, Sakaeyo Baitshepi said they were investigating the incident and cautioned drivers to be observant.
“We do not know how much damage has been caused as we are still investigating. We are worried at these accidents, which are mostly a result of people trying to cross before the train. People should always observe and wait for the train and not manoeuvre around the boom gates,” he said.
Baitshepi said their new strategy puts emphasis on safety. He said they would soon embark on a vigorous campaign in areas with level crossings to sensitise the public about the importance of taking safety measures when crossing the railway line.
“We will start in Ramatlabama and go to other areas like Otse, Palapye and all other places with level crossings to educate people in the surrounding and schools. We believe the boom gates used are working well to deter traffic accidents, but people need to be educated as we still have train accidents leading to lives being lost,” he said.
He was however quick to point out that the cause of the current accident is yet to be determined as investigations are still ongoing.
In January 2018, four people died when a Mercedes Benz minibus collided with a BR train at a rail cross near the Bobonong turn off from the A1 road some few kilometres from Palapye. Several other train accidents happened during the year.