Goods train crushes Beitbridge lovebirds after turning railway line into a love nest

A Beitbridge man and his lover were yesterday fatally crushed by a goods train on the railway line they had turned into a love nest some 60 kilometres north of Beitbridge along the track to Rutenga.

The man employed by Bitumen World was off duty when he decided to cool off with his lover at a makeshift bedroom on the rail line where the tragedy occurred.

The officer commanding Beitbridge Police District chief superintendent Tichaona Nyongo said he was not in the district and was not aware of the incident.

However, Bitumen World director Andre Zietsman confirmed the incident and said his worker was off duty when he died.

"Yes, in his off time he went and slept on the rail tracks and unfortunately a train crashed him," he said without giving further details.

Bitumen World are part of the five companies upgrading the Harare-Beitbridge Highway and have their main camp near the site of accident.

A source said the man took a mattress and laid it across the rail line where he invited his lover to what became their last night.

They may have died in their sleep.

"Police were, literally, picking up pieces of the two lovers after the accident," the source.

Names of the deceased were not yet made public.