Chambeshi Railway Bridge

Chambeshi Bridge is located in the Northern Province of Zambia on the Chabeshi River.

History

On 11 October 1979 the bridge was bombed by the Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) army under the command of prime minister Ian Smith. The planted bombs detonated minutes after a south-bound Tanzania-Zambia Railways (TAZARA) passenger train traveling from Nakonde to Kapiri-Mposhi had passed. The bridge was bombed in an effort to preempt a raid that was allegedly being planned by Southern Rhodesian rebels hosted in Zambia to overthrow the colonial government in that country.

The train was driven by Evelyn Mwansa, the first female locomotive driver in Zambia. The bridge was later reconstructed and relocated from its original spot on the Chambeshi River. The reconstruction was undertaken by Chinese engineers and took about one year to complete the work.