The Kadalundi train disaster occurred on 22 June 2001, when the Mangalore-Chennai Mail passenger train was crossing over the

Kadalundi river Kadalundi River (Kadalundipuzha) is one of the four major rivers flowing through Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala. The other three are the Chaliyar, the Bharathappuzha and the Tirur River. This rain-fed river is long and is ...

. Three carriages fell into the water, with 59 people reported killed or missing, and up to 300 believed injured. The official inquiry concluded that the accident was caused by one pillar of the 140-year old bridge sinking into the riverbed, following recent heavy rain, though this finding has been challenged.

Event

The '' Mangalore-Chennai Mail'' passenger train heading for

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

was crossing Bridge 924 over the

, connecting

Malappuram Malappuram (also Malapuram) () is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of including the surrounding suburban areas. The first municipality in the district formed in 1970, Malappuram serves as the administrative headquarter ...

and

Kozhikode Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second la ...

districts when six carriages derailed and three fell into the river. The death toll for the accident rose steadily as bodies were retrieved from the wreckage over the course of a week, but a figure of 59 people was eventually reported as killed or missing, including at least eight women and two children, whilst between 117 and 300 were injured and transported to nearby hospitals. These figures were still challenged by some, who said the toll was higher and that a number of people were still missing. It was one of India’s biggest rail accidents in 2001. The

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

rains had been normal that year. Officials stated that heavy rainfall in the 24 hours before the accident could have contributed to the problems on the bridge. The bridge failed as the heavy train passed over them. The bridge was 140 years old and in a poor state of repair, and it shifted when the line broke, derailing six cars of the train. Three carriages fell into the swollen river. Rescue parties, totalling over 500 people from nearby towns, entered the river to rescue people from the wrecked carriages, and support was also received from fire brigades and the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates sig ...

, who sent fifty professional divers to attempt to rescue those trapped in the underwater railway cars. Railway officials and family members also arrived rapidly with the aid of a special train.

Inquiry

The inquiry into what actually caused the damage to the bridge was highly controversial, because government investigators concluded that one of the bridge's pillars had sunk into the river, causing an uneven kink in the track, which snapped when the train hit it. Subsequent private investigations have seriously questioned this theory, pointing out that the bridge is damaged on top of the structure in a way which would not be possible if the pillar was unstable. These investigators claim that there was a fault with the train itself or it can be both together, for most of accidents happen due to more than one cause.

Similar accidents

* -

Tangiwai disaster The Tangiwai disaster occurred at 10:21 p.m. on 24 December 1953 when a railway bridge over the Whangaehu River collapsed beneath an express passenger train at Tangiwai, North Island, New Zealand. The locomotive and the first six carriages ...

lahar A lahar (, from jv, ꦮ꧀ꦭꦲꦂ) is a violent type of mudflow or debris flow composed of a slurry of pyroclastic material, rocky debris and water. The material flows down from a volcano, typically along a river valley. Lahars are extreme ...

undermines bridge. * -

Veligonda train disaster The Valigonda rail disaster occurred on 29 October 2005 near the town of Valigonda, south of Hyderabad in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. A flash flood swept away a small rail bridge, and a " Delta Fast Passenger" train traveling on it ...

* - Perumon train disaster

References

External links

{{2001 railway accidents Derailments in India Railway accidents and incidents in Kerala Railway accidents in 2001 Bridge disasters in India 2001 disasters in India Bridge disasters caused by maintenance error Bridge disasters caused by scour damage Transport in Malappuram district History of Kerala (1947–present) Rail transport in Kerala History of Malappuram district Disasters in Kerala