| 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) |
| List of rail accidents (1990–1999) | |
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
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. Around 3,000 passengers were involved in the collision.
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.
Aftermath
The death toll of the accident was listed as being at least 90. The cause of the accident was established as error on the behalf of the signalman.
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ "One foreigner dead in China train crash". UPI. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ "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.
Categories: