The Fiumarella rail disaster was one of the most serious incidents in the
history of the Italian railways. It occurred at about 7.45 am on 23 December 1961, at the
Fiumarella viaduct, near
Catanzaro, in the
region of
Calabria
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southern Italy
Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half.
The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...
.
History
The train involved in the disaster was composed of
Breda
Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...
M2.123 class diesel
railcar and Breda trailer RA 1006.
The accident occurred as the train was passing over the curved Fiumarella viaduct, about an hour after departing from
Soveria Mannelli for Catanzaro at 6:43 am. 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 . 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 to varying degrees. This resulted as the worst rail disaster in peacetime Italy.
Consequences
The incident sparked a heated parliamentary debate, which led the Italian Government (by Law 1855 of 23 December 1963) to revoke the grant to the
Mediterranea Calabro Lucane of the right to operate the line, and appoint a Managing Government Commissioner of
Ferrovie Calabro Lucane.
[ :it:Ferrovie Calabro Lucane] Rail traffic on the line remained disrupted for some 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.
References
''This article is based upon a translation of the
Italian language version.''
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Catanzaro
Derailments in Italy
Railway accidents in 1961
1961 in Italy
Transport in Calabria
December 1961 events in Europe