Rongjiawan train disaster

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Rongjiawan train disaster
201906 Tracks at Rongjiawan Station.jpg
Rongjiawan Station, site of the accident
Rongjiawan train disaster
Details
DateApril 29, 1997
10:48 a.m.
Location Rongjiawan, Hunan, China
Coordinates 29°08′52″N113°07′10″E / 29.14778°N 113.11944°E / 29.14778; 113.11944
Line Beijing–Guangzhou railway
Incident typeRear-end Collision
Cause Human error; signalman failure to change light
Statistics
Trains2
Deaths90-126
Injured48 (serious); 182 (minor) [1]
List of rail accidents (1990–1999)

The Rongjiawan train disaster occurred on April 29, 1997 in Rongjiawan, Hunan, China.

Contents

Accident

On April 29, 1997, a passenger liner numbered as 818 was parked at Rongjiawan Railway Station in Lane 4. The 818 was headed towards a station in Chaling County. The other train involved, another passenger train identified as 324, was on its way to Zhengzhou when it also arrived at Rongjiawan Station. [1]

The 324 train entered Lane 4 with a green signal, but immediately activated the emergency brakes when it saw the 818 train already parked ahead. The 324 then rear-ended the 818. [2] Around 3,000 passengers were involved in the collision. [3]

Response

Following the accident, between 1,000 and 2,000 police and rescue officers arrived at the scene of the accident and began the process of rescuing survivors and extracting bodies. [4]

Aftermath

The death toll of the accident was listed as being at least 90. [3] [4] The cause of the accident was established as error on the behalf of the signalman. [5]

References

  1. 1 2 Wang, Junfeng (2018). Safety Theory and Control Technology of High-Speed Train Operation. Academic Press. p. 16. ISBN   978-0-12-813304-0.
  2. ↑ "Train Collision Kills Scores In China". The Spokesman Review. April 30, 1997. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  3. 1 2 "One foreigner dead in China train crash". UPI. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Chinese seek cause of deadly train wreck". Deseret News. April 30, 1997. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Train Wreck Kills 67 in Central China". The New York Times. New York Times. April 30, 1997. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
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