Deadliest Incidents In History

Bihar Train Disaster — India

A passenger train derailed off a bridge into the Bagmati River during a cyclone — India's worst rail disaster.

Lac-Mégantic Rail Disaster — Canada

An unattended oil train rolled downhill into a Quebec town centre and exploded, killing 47 people.

2004 Sri Lanka tsunami-rail disaster — Sri Lanka

On 26 December 2004, a crowded passenger train (#50 Matara Express) was destroyed on a coastal railway in Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka, by the tsunami that followed the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. It is considered the largest rail disaster in his

Hamont train accident — Belgium

Bihar train derailment — India

In the Indian state of Bihar, on June 6, 1981, a passenger train carrying more than 800 passengers between Mansi (Dhamara Pul) and Saharsa, derailed while crossing a bridge and plunged into the river Bagmati. After five days, more than 200

Guadalajara train disaster — Mexico

The Guadalajara train disaster occurred in the Mexican state of Jalisco on January 22, 1915, and killed over 600 people. The Mexican Revolution was in full swing by 1915. After the assassination of Francisco Madero two years earlier, the pr

Vereshchyovka train disaster — Russia

The Vereshchyovka train disaster was a railway accident that occurred near Vereshchyovka in Oryol Oblast, Soviet Union on 24 January 1944. Sources estimate that over 600 people died in the wreck, making it the deadliest train disaster in So

Balvano train disaster — Italy

The Balvano train disaster occurred on the night between 2–3 March 1944 in Balvano, Basilicata, when 517 people in a steam-hauled, coal-burning freight train (mostly stowaways) died of carbon monoxide poisoning during a protracted stall in

Torre del Bierzo rail disaster — Spain

The Torre del Bierzo rail disaster occurred on 3 January 1944 near the village of Torre del Bierzo in the El Bierzo region of Spain's León province when three trains collided and caught fire inside a tunnel. Although the official death toll

Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne derailment — France

The Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne derailment of December 12, 1917, was a railway accident involving a troop train carrying at least 1,000 French soldiers on their way home for leave from the Italian front in World War I. A derailment as the tra

Awash rail disaster — Ethiopia

On 13 January 1985, an express train derailed on a curved bridge over the gorge of the Awash River in Awash, Ethiopia. The official death toll was 428, with more than 500 injuries.

Dancheon train disaster — North Korea

El Virilla train accident — Costa Rica

The El Virilla train accident occurred in Costa Rica on 14 March 1926, when an overcrowded train carrying mostly farmers and laborers derailed while crossing a bridge across the Virilla River Canyon, killing 385 and injuring 93. The train w

1981 Chengdu-Kunming Railway Train Crash — China

The 1981 Chengdu–Kunming rail crash occurred on July 9, 1981, when train number 442 passed the failed Liziyida bridge near Ganluo County, Sichuan province. More than 200 died in the accident while 146 were injured. It is the worst train dis

Sukkur rail disaster — Pakistan

The Sukkur rail disaster occurred on 4 January 1990 in the village of Sangi, near Sukkur in Sindh, Pakistan, claiming 307 lives. This makes it the deadliest rail accident in the country's history. The Bahauddin Zakaria Express, on an 800-ki

1957 Gambar train crash — Pakistan

On September 29, 1957, a Karachi-bound express passenger train collided at full speed with a stationary oil-tanker train before midnight, at Gambar Railway Station. 300 people were killed and 150 wounded by the accident.

1994 Tolunda rail disaster — Angola

The 1994 Tolunda rail disaster happened near Tolunda, in the Namibe Province, Angola on 22 September 1994. A freight train of the Benguela railway derailed due to malfunctioning brakes and crashed into a 10 metres (33 ft) deep ravine. Aroun

2023 Odisha train collision — India

On 2 June 2023, three trains collided in Balasore district in the East Indian state of Odisha. The accident occurred around 19:00 IST when Coromandel Express, a passenger train, collided with a stationary goods train near Bahanaga Bazar rai

Gaisal train disaster — India

The Gaisal train collision occurred on 2 August 1999, when two trains carrying about 2,500 people collided at the remote station of Gaisal in West Bengal, India. Owing to a signalling error, both trains were using the same track on a day wh

Igandu train disaster — Tanzania

The Igandu train disaster occurred during the early morning of June 24, 2002, in Tanzania. It is one of the worst rail accidents in African history. A passenger train with over 1,200 people on board rolled backwards down a hill into a slow-

Benavidez rail disaster — Argentina

The Benavídez rail disaster, which occurred on February 1, 1970, is the worst-ever rail disaster in Argentina and South America, leaving 236 dead and more than 500 injured.