Merano derailment

The Merano derailment occurred on 12 April 2010 when a train derailed between Latsch and Kastelbell, near Merano, Italy, after running into a landslide, causing nine deaths and injuring 28 people.

Merano derailment
The derailed train
Details
Date12 April 2010
9:03 CEST (7:03 UTC)
LocationBetween Latsch and Kastelbell-Tschars
(South Tyrol)
CountryItaly
LineVinschgau Line
OperatorSTA Südtiroler Transportstrukturen AG
Incident typeDerailment
CauseObstruction on line (landslide)
Statistics
Trains1
Deaths9
Injuries28

Accident

At 9:03 local time (7:03 UTC), a two passenger coach Stadler GTW train, operated by STA Südtiroler, derailed in Kastelbell-Tschars after running into a landslide.[1][2] Nine people died when the train derailed, and 28 others were injured, seven seriously.[3]

The landslide which reportedly derailed the train is believed to have been caused by a burst irrigation pipe, or by a valve inadvertently left open. The train was on a regional service,[4] travelling between Mals and Merano,[1] on the Vinschgau line, which reopened in 2005.[5]

Italy's ANSA news agency said one of the train's three carriages was filled with mud from the landslide, and rescuers were digging frantically with shovels and pickaxes to try to reach the victims. A reporter for Sky Italia television said smoke was rising from the wreckage and helicopters were flying overhead.[1]

The railway is equipped with advanced sensors to stop trains in case of landslides, but they couldn't operate because the mud fell at the moment that the train was passing.[6]

An investigation is underway into why the irrigation pipe burst. The local aqueduct consortium denies the possibility that the landslide was caused by the pipe, as it is a small pipe (65 mm diameter), and was working perfectly until about 8:00 CEST.

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References
  1. "'Six dead' as Italy train derails". BBC News Online. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
  2. The Guardian : 12 April 2010 : Passengers Killed as Italian Landslide Derails Train Retrieved 13 April 2010
  3. "DISASTRO FERROVIARIO - CRONACA Frana su un treno in Val Venosta. Nove morti e 28 feriti, alcuni sono gravi" (in Italian). Alto Adige. Archived from the original on 1 July 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
  4. "At least six killed in train crash, Toll 'set to rise' after train hits landslide". ANSA. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
  5. ""Moving the Future": Merano – Malles Venosta Railway Restoration". Commission Internationale pour la Protection des Alpes. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
  6. Corriere della Sera, 13 April 2010, p.2

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