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Trains have been an important means of transport for years, linking people across large expanses. But history has also seen tragic train accidents, leading to massive loss of life. This article gives a glimpse into the five most fatal train accidents in history, the horrific effects of human mistake, natural disasters and equipment malfunctions.
Sri Lanka Tsunami Train Wreck
Date: December 26, 2004
Location: Peraliya, Sri Lanka
The Queen of the Sea express was struck by the fatal 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami when it was riding the western Sri Lankan coastline from Colombo to Galle. Carrying more than 1,700 passengers of whom many had no tickets the train was blown off the line and smashed by waves more than 30 feet high at Peraliya. The carriages were thrown around and smashed like toys and nearly all passengers were killed. It is the most fatal train crash in documented history.
Bihar Train Derailment, India
Date: June 6, 1981
Location: Bagmati River, Bihar, India
In monsoon storm conditions, a passenger train that had more than 800 passengers derailed while passing over a bridge in Badla Ghat in Bihar. A flash flood and an unexpected cyclone swept the train into the Bagmati River. The rescue operations were greatly obstructed due to flooding and a rapid current. Officially, 235 lives were confirmed dead and 800 estimated deaths made it the worst of all train tragedies in India. The river’s flow swept numerous bodies away and numerous others were never found.
Guadalajara Train Disaster, Mexico
Date: January 22, 1915
Location: Near Guadalajara, Mexico
During the Mexican Revolution, a train with hundreds of passengers, largely families of soldiers, left Colima for Guadalajara. The train was grossly overcrowded with people on the roofs and holding on to sides. As it came down a steep grade, brake failure resulted in its derailing and crashing into a deep canyon. Only around 300 of some 900 passengers survived. The others were killed in the crash or crushed. The disaster is still one of Mexico’s worst peacetime catastrophes.
Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne Derailment, France
Date: 12 December 1917
Location: Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne, France
At the close of World War I, a French troop train with more than 1,000 soldiers who were going home for Christmas from the Italian front derailed in the French Alps. The train was overloaded and traveling without a second engine because it was in a hurry. It ran out of control on a steep grade. It crashed at full speed into a sharp curve outside Saint Michel de Maurienne. Wooden coaches burst into flames on impact trapping soldiers within. Approximately 700-800 died. The military covered it up at first and years later information surfaced.
Ciurea Rail Disaster, Romania
Date: January 13, 1917
Location: Ciurea, Romania
During World War I, a train transporting Romanian civilians and refugees from German advancing forces broke its brakes near Ciurea station. It was shunted aside to clear another train but derailed when going down a hill and caught fire. Wooden wagons burned, trapping passengers. An estimated 600-1,000 people were killed including women and children. The accident was attributed to overcrowding, antiquated equipment and war pressure on the rail system. It is Romania’s worst train disaster.
