Modane train crash of 1917
- Modane train crash of 1917
-
▪ French history
train derailment in Modane,
France, on Dec. 12, 1917, that killed more than 500 French soldiers.
The French train was traveling from
Turin,
Italy,
to Lyon,
France, through a stretch of the
Alps in southeastern France. It was carrying more than 1,000 soldiers, who had been stationed in northern Italy while fighting in
World War I. The trip was planned as a reprieve from combat, with many of the men planning to reunite with their families for the Christmas holiday.
Only one locomotive pulled the 19 cars. Though the locomotive could effectively move the heavy load, the train's engineer reportedly had warned French officials that the train would likely be unable to brake fully on hills. As the train moved out of a tunnel, it began descending a steep hill. The train lost control as it neared the bottom of the hill, where it ran over a bridge and derailed. The train cars were made mostly of wood and immediately began to burn. Many of the hundreds of victims were unidentifiable. The engineer survived the accident.
* * *
Universalium.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
List of accidents and disasters by death toll — This page lists accidents and disasters sorted by death toll. It does not include natural disasters, or death tolls caused by deliberate violence. Explosion Not including bombings, aviation incidents and mine disasters * 1,950 Halifax Explosion,… … Wikipedia
List of rail accidents (pre-1950) — For a list of 1950 1999 rail accidents, see List of 1950 1999 rail accidents.For a list of post 2000 rail accidents, see List of rail accidents. notoc Pre 1830 1815 * 1815, exact date unclear ndash; Philadelphia, Co Durham, England: 16 people,… … Wikipedia
Liste schwerer Unfälle im Schienenverkehr — Unfall am Bahnhof Montparnasse, Paris, 1895 Dieser Artikel enthält eine chronologische Auflistung von schweren Unfällen im Schienenverkehr, insbesondere der Eisenbahn, bei denen der Verlust von Menschenleben zu beklagen war oder Schäden in… … Deutsch Wikipedia
List of man-made disasters — Man made disasters are disasters resulting from man made hazards (threats having an element of human intent, negligence, or error; or involving a failure of a man made system), as opposed to natural disasters resulting from natural hazards. Man… … Wikipedia
