In Bihar on June 6, 1981, a passenger train carrying more than 800 passengers[1] between Mansi (Dhamara Pul) and Saharsa, India derailed and plunged into the river Bagmati while it was crossing a bridge.
After five days, more than 200 bodies were recovered, with hundreds more missing that were feared washed away by the river.[1][2] Estimates of total deaths range from 500 to 800 or more.[1] By the afternoon of June 12, the government had completed its recovery efforts and had issued an official death toll of 235 passengers (including the bodies of 3 passengers which had not been recovered), with 88 survivors.[3]
The accident is among the deadliest-ever rail accidents on record.
The cause of the accident is uncertain as the accident was not well documented. There are multiple theories:
- a cyclone[4]
- flash flooding [5]
- brake failure while trying to avoid hitting a cow [6]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Catastrophe!: the 100 greatest disasters of all time{{#if:Spignesi|, Spignesi}. Citadel Press(2004)
- ↑ AROUND THE WORLD; Toll From Train Crash Reaches 215 in India. New York Times(June 9, 1981).
- ↑ Diving Operations to Extricate Dead Bodies Completed - Samastipur Rail Disaster. Press Information Bureau of India - Archive(12 June 1981).
- ↑ BBC, Iran mourns train blast victims See sidebar at bottom of page
- ↑ Template:Dead linkCBS Template:Webarchive
- ↑ Emergency Disaster Management, Inc., Train Wrecks in India Template:Webarchive