Rongjiawan train disaster
| Rongjiawan train disaster | |
|---|---|
 Rongjiawan Station, site of the accident | |
| Details | |
| Date | April 29, 1997 10:48 a.m. |
| Location | Rongjiawan, Hunan, China |
| Coordinates | 29°08'52"N 113°07'10"E |
| Line | Beijing–Guangzhou railway |
| Incident type | Rear-end Collision |
| Cause | Human error; signalman failure to change light |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 2 |
| Deaths | 90-126 |
| Injured | 48 (serious); 182 (minor)[1] |
| List of rail accidents (1990–1999) | |
Accident
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]- ^ a b Wang, Junfeng (2018). Safety Theory and Control Technology of High-Speed Train Operation. Academic Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-12-813304-0.
- ^ "Train Collision Kills Scores In China". The Spokesman Review. April 30, 1997. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ a b "One foreigner dead in China train crash". UPI. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ a b "Chinese seek cause of deadly train wreck". Deseret News. April 30, 1997. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ "Train Wreck Kills 67 in Central China". The New York Times. New York Times. April 30, 1997. Retrieved March 23, 2024.