2014 Katanga train derailment

Last updated

2014 Katanga train derailment
Details
Date22 April 2014
between 10:00 and 11:00 local time (UTC+2:00)
LocationNear Katongola Bridge [1] 8°23′30″S24°39′49″E / 8.39167°S 24.66361°E / -8.39167; 24.66361
CountryFlag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  Democratic Republic of the Congo
Line Kamina – Ilebo
Operator Société nationale des Chemins de fer du Congo
Incident typeDerailment
CauseDriving over speed limit [2]
Statistics
Trains1
Deaths48 [3]
Injured162 [3]

On 22 April 2014, a freight train derailed near the Katongola Bridge [1] in Haut-Lomami Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The train was carrying hundreds of illegal passengers at the time of the crash. As a result, 48 people were killed and over 160 injured. [3]

Contents

Background

The rail system of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is poorly maintained and has fallen into a state of disrepair after years of conflict within the country. Much of the system was built during the colonial period and received few upgrades since the end of Belgian rule in 1960 until a recent program financed by the World Bank. Employees of the Congo Railway Company (SNCC), the country's public rail company, often sell illegal tickets to passengers to boost their income. Other people simply hop on trains as they travel to get around the country. [2] [4] Train crashes are fairly frequent as a result of the overloading and poor infrastructure. [3] In 2007, more than 100 people were killed when a freight train derailed in Kasai Occidental. [5]

Derailment

Democratic Republic of the Congo adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Derailment site
Derailment site (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

Between 10:00 and 11:00 local time (8:00–9:00 UTC) on 22 April 2014, a freight train derailed near Katongola, about 65 kilometres (40 mi) north of Kamina in the Haut-Lomami Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. [3] [2] [4] The derailment included the train's two engines and 15 of 19 carriages. [3] [5]

Although not a passenger train, it was carrying hundreds of passengers at the time of the crash. [2] According to eyewitnesses, the train was filled with passengers both on the inside and on the roofs of the train cars. [3] Although the crash occurred in the morning, rescuers did not arrive on scene until the early evening. [2] Army medics and MONUSCO personnel were aided by a heavy crane in their efforts to free people trapped under piles of debris. [3] Initial reports said as many as 63 people had been killed in the accident, but the death toll was later revised to 48. [3] [2] An additional 160 people were injured, 12 of them seriously. [3]

Cause

The initial investigation suggested that the train was traveling at about 60 kilometres per hour (37 mph), which is above the 40 kilometres per hour (25 mph) speed limit. The train was unable to slow sufficiently to get around a curve in the track and derailed. [2] According to a government spokesman, the train apparently was speeding because of an engine failure. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo</span> Transport systems in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ground transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has always been difficult. The terrain and climate of the Congo Basin present serious barriers to road and rail construction, and the distances are enormous across this vast country. Furthermore, chronic economic mismanagement and internal conflict has led to serious under-investment over many years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katanga Province</span> Former province in DR Congo

Katanga was one of the four large provinces created in the Belgian Congo in 1914. It was one of the eleven provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1966 and 2015, when it was split into the Tanganyika, Haut-Lomami, Lualaba, and Haut-Katanga provinces. Between 1971 and 1997, its official name was Shaba Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pakistan Railways</span> Pakistani state-owned railway company

Pakistan Railways is the national, state-owned railway company of Pakistan in Lahore. Founded in 1861 as the North Western State Railway and headquartered in Lahore, it owns 7,490 kilometres of operational track across Pakistan, stretching from Torkham to Karachi, offering both freight and passenger services, covering 1,184 stations across Pakistan.

The railways of New South Wales, Australia have had many incidents and accidents since their formation in 1831. There are close to 1000 names associated with rail-related deaths in NSW on the walls of the Australian Railway Monument in Werris Creek. Those killed were all employees of various NSW railways. The details below include deaths of employees and the general public.

The Benaleka train accident occurred on August 1, 2007 near Benaleka in the Democratic Republic of Congo, killing at least 100 people and seriously injuring 128 more.

The Yanga derailment occurred on 21 June 2010 when a train traveling between Brazzaville and Pointe Noire in the Republic of the Congo was derailed and plunged into a ravine. At least 60 people were initially reported to have been killed and hundreds disappeared with the death toll expected to rise further. The death toll had risen to 76 people and the injury toll had risen to 745 by 23 June 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naro-Fominsk rail crash</span>

The Naro-Fominsk rail crash occurred on 20 May 2014 when a freight train derailed near Naro-Fominsk, Moscow Oblast, Russia. The train was run into by a passenger train. Nine people were killed and 51 were injured.

References

  1. 1 2 "At least 60 killed in DR Congo train crash". Xinhua News Agency. 24 April 2014. Archived from the original on 11 May 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "DR Congo train in deadly Katanga derailment". BBC Africa. 23 April 2014. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 AAP (24 April 2014). "DR Congo train crash Ssarch continues: Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo say they are still trying rescue people trapped in the mangled wreckage of a derailed train". SBS World News. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 "Scores killed in DR Congo train crash". Al Jazeera. 23 April 2014. Archived from the original on 17 August 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  5. 1 2 "At least 50 killed in Congo train crash: sources". Reuters. 23 April 2014. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.