Kadalundi train disaster

The railway accident Kadalundi was the derailment of a train on the bridge across the Kadalundi at Kadalundi in the state of Kerala, on 22 June 2001. A part of the train plunged into the river. 57 people died. The data on the number of casualties vary, there were more than 230, 117 were admitted to hospitals.

Starting position

The monsoon was exceptionally fierce in 2001 and the rainfall high. The bridge over the Kadalundi, No. 924, in the course of the railway Mangalore - Shornur, was 140 years old and was in poor building maintenance state.

The Mangalore Mail the Southern Railway, was from Mangalore to Chennai (Madras ) on the road and had to cross the river of the same name at Kadalundi station on this bridge.

Accident

Because of rail breakage derailed the locomotive and the first four cars of the train, including the reserved exclusively for women, as the train 17 against clock crossed the bridge. Initial reports spoke of that one of the bridge segments was broken. Locomotive and derailed cars fell into the river. Ten minutes after the accident put a heavy monsoon rain, which complicated the rescue work massively.

Follow

The rescue operation was carried out by 500 volunteers from the surrounding area and local fire departments, who rescued travelers with their canoes. They were later joined by 50 professional divers of the Indian Navy.

Accident investigation

The official accident investigation ended in controversy. The cause of the broken rail should - have been that one of the pillars of the bridge had given way, by the superstructure was slipping and the track so broke after exposure to the above -propelled train - according to the official examination result.

This result was disputed by outside experts, as the bridge deck was broken off at the top of the pier, which spoke against it, that the pillar itself has given way. Rather, this accident picture suggests that damage to the bridge deck, failed on one of the piers. Thereafter, it is assumed that the train derailed and thereby brought the aged bridge to collapse.