1979 Mississauga train derailment

In the railway accident in Mississauga on November 10, 1979 exploded a freight train loaded with chemicals in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. After that 200,000 to 250,000 people had to be evacuated. This was then the largest peacetime evacuation in North America.

Starting position

The train came from Windsor, Ontario, and consisted of 106 wagons loaded with explosive and toxic substances.

The accident

Of the 33 cars of the train developed because the axle bearing insufficient lubricating oil received, a hot runner. Heat development it lost its stability, the axis jumped out and the wagon lost in one of its bogies a complete wheel set. The car then derailed by 23 clock 53, as well as the following car of the train, right in the built up area of the city of Mississauga.

The brakeman of the train it, the brake hose to close at the end of the 32 car, so that the engineer could release the brakes of the front train part and pull it out of the danger zone succeeded.

Some loaded with propane tank cars were flung at the derailment and began to burn. Were also damaged other car, had loaded the styrene, toluene, sodium and chlorine. Some of them also ran out. The chemical mixture led to a huge explosion with a 1,500 -meter-high fireball that was seen at a distance of 100 km.

Follow

The accident had no deaths resulted. The fire department focused on cooling the not yet destroyed car and leave the other cars burn controls. A problem here was a delicious whipped, loaded with chlorine car because there was a danger that a chlorine gas cloud by Mississauga would be drawn in its further damage due to fire. Therefore, there 200000-250000 people had to be evacuated. This eviction was only surpassed in North America by the evacuation measures on the occasion of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The evacuation lasted until 16 November 1979.

Swell

• City of Mississauga (ed.): Mississauga Train Derailment. Mississauga 1979.
• Ministry of the Solicitor General of Ontario (ed.): The Mississauga Evacuation. Final Report. In 1981.
• NN: Miracle of Mississauga. Toronto Sun Publishing 1979.

43.571064 - 79.64015Koordinaten: 43 ° 34 ' 16 "N, 79 ° 38' 25 " W

• Railway accident (Canada)
• Traffic accident in 1979
• Transportation (Ontario)
• Chemical accident
• Freight train accident