2005 Phú Lộc derailment

The 2005 Phú Lộc derailment was an accident to an express passenger train that derailed in central Vietnam on 12 March 2005[1] when it was running on the North–South Railway, killing 11 people and injuring hundreds, many of which were in a serious condition after the crash. The accident occurred in Phú Lộc District, Thừa Thiên–Huế Province as the train was traveling from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City.[2] The accident was described as "the most tragic rail accident in Vietnam in the past 30 years",[3] and "the country's worst-ever rail accident".[4]

2005 Phú Lộc derailment
Details
Date	12 March 2005 11:50 AM
Location	Phú Lộc, Thừa Thiên–Huế
Coordinates	16.2°N 108.133°E / 16.2; 108.133
Country	Vietnam
Line	North–South Railway
Operator	Vietnam Railways
Incident type	Derailment
Cause	Speeding
Statistics
Trains	1
Deaths	11[1]
Injured	200[1]
km to Hanoi 688 Huế 742 Thua Luu 0 direction of train Derailment site 755 Lăng Cô Thừa Thiên–Huế Da Nang border Hải Vân Pass 791 Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City

Incident

The train was heading from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City when eight of the train's 13 cars toppled from the tracks near the Hải Vân mountain pass. The accident occurred at 11:50 am near Da Ban hamlet, at kilometre 752(+500) of the North–South Railway, approximately 3 km west of Lăng Cô station, Phú Lộc District, Thừa Thiên–Huế Province, and 8 km from the northern section of the Hải Vân Pass.[4] Some 500 passengers and 29 crew members were aboard the train; of these, at least 11 were killed and 200 injured.[1] Six people reportedly died at the scene, while five more died of their injuries after the fact.[2] The Chinese People's Daily reported that 70 people had been "severely injured". The accident blocked traffic along the single-track North-South Railway for 26 hours while rescue and clean-up efforts proceeded.[3]

A probe by the Vietnamese police department found that the train was travelling at a speed of 68 km/h (42 mph) when it derailed, or 20 km/h more than the stipulated speed limit of 40 km/h (25 mph).[3] Witnesses reported that the train was travelling at a high speed at the time of the incident, with one passenger claiming that the train had been "gathering speed" just before the derailment. The train was reportedly 20 minutes behind schedule at the time.[4]

Due to the lack of road access to the accident site, rescuers were forced to reach the site by boat, mobilizing several boats and canoes to transport injured passengers to Route 1A, where they were transported to local hospitals, including Phú Lộc District Hospital, Hue Central Hospital, and Polyclinic Hospital (Bệnh viện đa khoa) in Da Nang.[1][4]

See also

• Railway accidents in Vietnam

Notes and references

1. Tai nạn tàu E1 ở chân đèo Hải Vân. Sai Gon Giai Phong. 12 March 2005.
2. Vietnam train derail kills 11, injuring 200. Xinhua. 13 March 2005.
3. Over-speeding causes train derailment in Vietnam. People's Daily. 15 March 2005.
4. Speeding driver indicted in derailment tragedy. Vietnam News Agency. 15 March 2005.

External links

• People's Daily
• XinHuaNet
• VietnamNet