Stéblová train disaster

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The Stéblová train disaster was a railway accident that occurred on November 14, 1960 at 4:45 CET in Stéblová in North-Eastern Bohemia, Czechoslovakia. A passenger steam train collided with a diesel railcar at full speed during their departure. Over 100 people died in the accident. The accident occurred when one of the trains crossed the overlapping tracks without proper permission. The driver received a departure sign, but not from the station officer. Due to foggy conditions, the red light signaling to stop was not seen. When the crash occurred, in order to prevent an explosion, hot coal and ashes had been disposed from one of the steam engines, but caught fire when oil began to leak from the diesel engine train. The victims (mostly commuters returning from work) were killed due to the fire and smoke. The incident was only briefly mentioned in the national media, if not ignored completely.