>Hkshkss at 11:38, 29 May 2021

2021-05-29T11:38:19Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2016}}
{{Infobox public transit accident
| name = Kadalundi train disaster

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| coordinates = {{coord|11|07|43|N|75|49|53|E|region:IN-KL_type:event_source:kolossus-dewiki|display=inline,title}}

| date = 22 June 2001<ref name=BBC>{{cite web|title=India train crash toll rises |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1403186.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=[[BBC]] |accessdate=22 June 2013 |date=23 June 2001 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103185715/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1403186.stm |archivedate= 3 November 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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| location = Bridge 924, [[kadalundi]], [[kozhikode district]], [[Kerala]], [[India]]
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| country = [[India]]
| line = Mangalore-Shoranur line
| operator = [[Indian Railways]]
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| trains = 1
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| deaths = 59<ref name=NYT />
| injuries = 241<ref name=NYT />
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'''Kadalundi train disaster''' is one of the biggest accidents on the [[Indian Railways|Indian railway network]] in 2001. On 22 June,<ref name=BBC/> the ''[[Mangalore Mail|Mangalore-Chennai Mail]]'' passenger train heading for [[Chennai]] was crossing Bridge 924 over the [[Kadalundi river]], connecting [[Malappuram District|Malappuram]] and [[Kozhikode District|Kozhikode]] districts when six carriages derailed and three fell into the river.<ref name=NYT>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=June 24, 2001 |title=59 Die in India as Rail Bridge Collapses |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/24/world/59-die-in-india-as-rail-bridge-collapses.html |url-status=live |work=[[Agence France-Presse]] |location= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527173722/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/24/world/59-die-in-india-as-rail-bridge-collapses.html |archive-date=2015-05-27 |access-date=2021-02-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=SRIDHAR|first=V.|title=Was it the bridge, or the bogies?|url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/article30251362.ece|access-date=2021-05-29|website=Frontline|language=en}}</ref>

The death toll for the accident rose steadily as bodies were retrieved from the wreckage over the course of a week, but a figure of 59 people was eventually reported as killed or missing,<ref name=NYT /> including at least eight women and two children, whilst between 117 and 300 were injured and transported to nearby hospitals. These figures were still challenged by some{{who|date=February 2021}}, who said the toll was higher and that a number of people were still missing.<ref>{{Cite web|last=SRIDHAR|first=V.|title=Was it the bridge, or the bogies?|url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/article30251362.ece|access-date=2021-05-29|website=Frontline|language=en}}</ref>

==Overview==
The [[monsoon]] rains had been normal that year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://metnet.imd.gov.in/mausamdocs/35331.pdf |title=Weather in India MONSOON SEASON (June to September 2001)* |author= |date=July 2002 |website=metnet.imd.gov.in |publisher= |access-date=February 11, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211052332/https://metnet.imd.gov.in/mausamdocs/35331.pdf |archive-date=February 11, 2021 |quote=Total seasonal monsoon rainfall over the country as a whole was 91% of its long period average. Thus making 2001 as the 13th successive normal (+ 10%) monsoon year as predicted by IMD’s long range forecast. }}</ref> Officials stated that heavy rainfall in the 24 hours before the accident could have contributed to the problems on the bridge. The bridge failed as the heavy train passed over them. The bridge was 140 years old and in a poor state of repair, and it shifted when the line broke, derailing six cars of the train. Three carriages fell into the swollen river.<ref name=NYT />

Rescue parties, totalling over 500 people from nearby towns, entered the river to rescue people from the wrecked carriages, and support was also received from fire brigades and the [[Indian Navy]], who sent fifty professional divers to attempt to rescue those trapped in the underwater railway cars.{{cn|date=February 2021}} Railway officials and family members also arrived rapidly with the aid of a special train.

The enquiry into what actually caused the damage to the bridge was highly controversial{{cn|date=February 2021}}, because government investigators concluded that one of the bridge's pillars had sunk into the river, causing an uneven kink in the track, which snapped when the train hit it. Subsequent private investigations have seriously questioned this theory, pointing out that the bridge is damaged on top of the structure in a way which would not be possible if the pillar was unstable.{{cn|date=February 2021}} These investigators claim that there was a fault with the train itself or it can be both together, for most of accidents happen due to more than one cause.

==Similar accidents==
*{{flagicon|New Zealand}} - [[Tangiwai disaster]] - [[lahar]] undermines bridge.
*{{flagicon|India}} - [[Veligonda train disaster]]
*{{flagicon|India}} - [[Peruman railway accident|Perumon train disaster]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==

{{2001 railway accidents}}

[[Category:Derailments in India]]
[[Category:Railway accidents and incidents in Kerala]]
[[Category:Railway accidents in 2001]]
[[Category:Bridge disasters in India]]
[[Category:Bridge disasters caused by maintenance error]]
[[Category:Bridge disasters caused by scour damage]]
[[Category:Transport in Malappuram district]]
[[Category:History of Kerala (1947–present)]]
[[Category:Rail transport in Kerala]]
[[Category:History of Malappuram district]]
[[Category:Disasters in Kerala]]

Kadalundi train derailment - Revision history

>Hkshkss at 11:38, 29 May 2021