Benaleka train accident | |
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Details | |
Date | August 1, 2007 23:00 |
Location | Benaleka |
Country | Democratic Republic of Congo |
Line | Ilebo to Kananga |
Operator | Congo Railroad Company |
Incident type | Runaway derailment |
Cause | Brake failure |
Statistics | |
Trains | 1 |
Deaths | 100 |
Injured | 128 |
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. [1]
The train crashed in a remote location 220 kilometres (140 mi) northwest of Kananga in West Kasai province at 11 p.m. local time. [2] The crash was caused by the failure of the train's brakes. Eight cars derailed; many of those killed had been riding on the roofs and were trapped underneath. The driver was able to detach the locomotive and go for help. Many of the injured were carried by bicycle or even on the backs of others to the nearest hospital, six miles away. [3] [4]
It is one of the deadliest rail incidents on the African continent.
The Hatfield rail crash was a railway accident on 17 October 2000, at Hatfield, Hertfordshire. It was caused by a metal fatigue-induced derailment, killing four people and injuring more than 70.
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.
On 22 April 2014, a freight train derailed near the Katongola Bridge 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.
On 21 October 2016, a Camrail inter-city passenger train travelling from Cameroon's capital, Yaoundé, to its largest city, Douala, derailed in Eséka, Centre Region. By 30 October 2016, the official number of casualties had reached 79 dead, with 550 injured. It was the deadliest rail crash on the African continent since the August 2007 Benaleka train accident.