| Forst Zinna rail disaster | |
| Date: | 19 January 1988 |
| Time: | 17:50 |
| Location: | Forst Zinna |
| Country: | East Germany |
| Service: | Leipzig-Stralsund |
| Type: | Collision with a T-64 tank |
| Trains: | 1 |
| Passengers: | 450 |
| Deaths: | 6 |
| Injuries: | 33 |
The Forst Zinna rail disaster occurred 19 January 1988 in Forst Zinna, East Germany. It was the result of a collision between a Soviet T-64A tank and an express train on the Berlin–Halle railway, in an area often used by the Soviet military for tank training.[1] [2] Six people were killed, and 33 were injured. It was one of the worst railway accidents in the history of the GDR.[3]
The train involved in the accident was a DR Class 211 locomotive pulling twelve passenger cars and a restaurant car. The driver of the T-64A tank was 19 years old and undergoing training by a 20-year-old instructor. This was the trainee's first time driving the tank, and it was dark outside.[4] The instructor called to the trainee to turn right, but this was not heard by the driver, who did not realise they were heading towards the busy rail line. When the instructor's emergency engine shutdown switch finally activated, the tank became stuck on the rail line. As the crew heard the sound of an oncoming train, they abandoned the tank. Seconds later, the train collided with the tank at 110 km/h. The collision instantly killed both drivers of the train, pushing the tank 130 metres forward.
The soldiers were initially arrested and questioned by the Kriminalpolizei, an unprecedented event at that time. Relations between the GDR and USSR were already strained due to disagreements between the policies of Erich Honecker and Mikhail Gorbachev. The police report directly blamed the Soviets, concluding that the train driver would not have been able to stop the train in time. However, the soldiers were nonetheless tried by a military tribunal of the Soviet Army.
The area would later have dragon's teeth added to the areas near the rail track to prevent further incidents of tanks crossing onto the rail line.