2010 Yanga train derailment
Encyclopedia
The Yanga derailment occurred on 2010 when a train travelling between Brazzaville
and Pointe Noire in the Republic of the Congo
was derailed and plunged into a ravine. At least 60 people were initially reported to have been killed and hundreds disappeared with the death toll expected to rise further. The death toll had risen to 76 people and the injury toll had risen to 745 by 23 June 2010.
The derailment compares with a similar incident which killed 100 people and injured 300 others in the Republic of the Congo's deadliest such incident in the country's history back in September 1991. A chronological list of rail accidents since 2002 provided by The Daily Telegraph
suggests this is the deadliest rail disaster since 2008 when at least 70 people were killed in China.
, some 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) from Pointe Noire. Four carriages were derailed. At least 51 people were reported killed at the time, with dozens more injured.
The train was en route from Pointe-Noire to Brazzaville at the time. Four wagons fell down into a ravine. Casualties and corpses were carried to the relevant location. 16 people were left in a critical state of physical danger. Photographs of the wounded show multiple limb injuries and wheelchair-using patients. Family members gathered at Pointe Noire and Dolisie railway stations to seek news of their loved ones. The material damage was said to be "severe".
By 23 June 2010, the death toll had risen to 76 people and the injury toll had risen to 745.
met with senior members of his administration after the incident.
Three days of national mourning were declared by the Republic of the Congo's government.
Funerals which had resulted from the incident were paid for by the government, according to an official statement, and mourning commenced in earnest the following Saturday.
Brazzaville
-Transport:The city is home to Maya-Maya Airport and a railway station on the Congo-Ocean Railway. It is also an important river port, with ferries sailing to Kinshasa and to Bangui via Impfondo...
and Pointe Noire in the Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
was derailed and plunged into a ravine. At least 60 people were initially reported to have been killed and hundreds disappeared with the death toll expected to rise further. The death toll had risen to 76 people and the injury toll had risen to 745 by 23 June 2010.
The derailment compares with a similar incident which killed 100 people and injured 300 others in the Republic of the Congo's deadliest such incident in the country's history back in September 1991. A chronological list of rail accidents since 2002 provided by The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
suggests this is the deadliest rail disaster since 2008 when at least 70 people were killed in China.
Accident
On 21 June 2010, a train operated by Chemin de Fer Congo-Ocean (CFCO) derailed at Yanga, between Bilingi and TchitondiTchitondi
- Accidents :On 22 June 2010, a serious train derailment down a nearby ravine saw 72 or more casualties.- External links :*...
, some 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) from Pointe Noire. Four carriages were derailed. At least 51 people were reported killed at the time, with dozens more injured.
The train was en route from Pointe-Noire to Brazzaville at the time. Four wagons fell down into a ravine. Casualties and corpses were carried to the relevant location. 16 people were left in a critical state of physical danger. Photographs of the wounded show multiple limb injuries and wheelchair-using patients. Family members gathered at Pointe Noire and Dolisie railway stations to seek news of their loved ones. The material damage was said to be "severe".
By 23 June 2010, the death toll had risen to 76 people and the injury toll had risen to 745.
Cause
No cause for the crash was immediately established, although excessive speed was blamed by the government. The train was rounding a bend at the time.Response
The military and people from the Red Cross dashed to the area to offer their assistance to the stricken passengers. President Denis Sassou NguessoDenis Sassou Nguesso
Denis Sassou Nguesso is a Congolese politician who has been the President of Congo-Brazzaville since 1997; he was previously President from 1979 to 1992. During his first period as President, he headed the single-party regime of the Congolese Labour Party for 12 years...
met with senior members of his administration after the incident.
Three days of national mourning were declared by the Republic of the Congo's government.
Funerals which had resulted from the incident were paid for by the government, according to an official statement, and mourning commenced in earnest the following Saturday.
External links
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/7847786/The-worlds-worst-rail-accidents.html "The world's worst rail accidents"– The Daily TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
– 2010.