Kadalundi River train disaster

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The Kadalundi River rail disaster was one of the biggest accidents on the Indian railway network in 2001. On 21 July, the Mangalore Mail commuter train heading for Chennai was crossing the Kadalundi River in the state of Kerala near Calicut on Bridge 924, when four carriages derailed and fell into the river.

[edit] Overview

The monsoon rains had been very heavy that year, and some believe that this contributed to the problems on the bridge that caused one the rails to break 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 the train. As it shifted the first four carriages, including the women-only carriage and the engine, fell into the swollen river, two being submerged totally, and two others partially submerged.

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. Railway officials and family members also arrived rapidly with the aid of a special train.

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 57 people was eventually reported as killed or missing, 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 said the toll was higher and that a number of people were still missing.

The enquiry into what actually caused the damage to the bridge was highly controversial, 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. These investigators claim that there was a fault with the train itself, and that the bridge theory is bring used for political reasons.