| Rongjiawan train disaster | |
| Coordinates: | 29°08'52"N 113°07'10"E |
| Date: | April 29, 1997 |
| Time: | 10:48 a.m. |
| Location: | Rongjiawan, Hunan, China |
| Line: | Beijing–Guangzhou railway |
| Type: | Rear-end Collision |
| Cause: | Human error
|
| Trains: | 2 |
| Deaths: | 90-126 |
| Injuries: | 48 (serious); 182 (minor)[1] |
| Footnotes: | List of rail accidents (1990–1999) |
On April 29, 1997, a passenger liner numbered as 818 was parked at Rongjiawan Railway Station in Lane 4. The 818 was headed towards a station in Chaling County. The other train involved, another passenger train identified as 324, was on its way to Zhengzhou when it also arrived at Rongjiawan Station [1]
The 324 train entered Lane 4 with a green signal, but immediately activated the emergency brakes when it saw the 818 train already parked ahead. The 324 then rear-ended the 818.[2] Around 3,000 passengers were involved in the collision.[3]
Following the accident, between 1,000 and 2,000 police and rescue officers arrived at the scene of the accident and began the process of rescuing survivors and extracting bodies.[4]
The death toll of the accident was listed as being at least 90.[3] [4] The cause of the accident was established as error on the behalf of the signalman.[5]