Anchieta rail disaster
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| Anchieta rail disaster | |
|---|---|
 Location of Anchieta, Rio de Janeiro | |
 | |
| Details | |
| Date | March 4, 1952 8:40 a.m. |
| Location | Anchieta, Rio de Janeiro |
| Country | Brazil |
| Operator | Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil |
| Incident type | Derailment and collision |
| Cause | Broken rail |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 2 |
| Deaths | 119 |
| Injured | up to 250 |
The Anchieta rail disaster, occurred on March 4, 1952, in Anchieta, a suburb twenty miles north of the centre of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. 119 people were killed and the resulting outcry prompted major new investment in Brazilian railways. This accident is considered the third-deadliest rail accident in Brazilian history.
At 8:40 a.m. a crowded steam-powered passenger train was slowly crossing a bridge over the Pavuna River near Anchieta station[1] when it derailed, sending two old wooden carriages broadside onto the adjacent line. Almost immediately a modern high-speed electric freight train travelling in the opposite direction plowed into the wooden carriages, telescoping them upwards. The severity of the accident was compounded by the fact that as was common practice the suburban train was overloaded, with passengers clinging to the sides, underneath and between the carriages. A witness said they saw "passengers flying in all directions when the crash occurred". In all 119 people were killed and as many as 250 were injured.
The engineer of the steam train fled the scene with his locomotive which was later found abandoned as he went into hiding. The reason for his disappearance was a peculiar law which stated that an engineer arrested at the scene of an accident could be detained indefinitely without bail. If he escaped arrest for 48 hours though he could remain free until convicted of negligence or serious misconduct.