| Fiumarella rail disaster | |
| Date: | 23 December 1961 |
| Location: | Fiumarella viaduct |
| Country: | Italy |
| Line: | Cosenza–Catanzaro |
| Operator: | Società per le Strade Ferrate del Mediterraneo |
| Type: | Derailment and fall to the valley floor |
| Trains: | 1 |
| Deaths: | 71 |
| Injuries: | 28 |
The Fiumarella rail disaster was one of the most serious incidents in the history of the Italian railways. It occurred at about 7:45 a.m. on 23 December 1961, at the Fiumarella viaduct, near Catanzaro, in the region of Calabria, southern Italy.
The train involved in the disaster was composed of Breda M2.123 class[1] diesel railcar and Breda trailer RA 1006.
The crash happened as the train was passing over the curved Fiumarella viaduct, about an hour after departing from Soveria Mannelli for Catanzaro at 6:43 a.m. The trailer derailed from the track, due to the rupture of the tram type draw hook, and plunged into the river below after a falling about 400NaN0. Inside the trailer there were 99 passengers, many of them students. Seventy-one of them lost their lives on impact, and 28 others were injured.[2]
The incident sparked a parliamentary debate, which led the Italian Government to revoke operating rights for Mediterranea Calabro Lucane on the line and appoint a Managing Government Commissioner.[3] Rail traffic on the line remained disrupted for years, and between Catanzaro and Soveria Mannelli it was temporarily replaced by road vehicles.
At Decollatura, place of origin of a substantial number of the victims, a monument was erected in memory of the fallen.
This article is based upon a translation of the Italian language version.