Eurostar 9410 derailment
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| Eurostar 9410 derailment | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Date | 24 October 2005 |
| Location | Bari, Apulia, Italy |
| Incident type | derailment |
| Cause | landslide following severe weather |
| Statistics | |
| Deaths | 0 |
| Injured | 35 |
The Eurostar 9410 derailment was a minor railroad accident that occurred in Bari, Apulia, Italy, on 24 October 2005. While causing no deaths, it left 30 wounded and five critically injured. It received considerable attention from mass media.
An anomalous wave of poor weather hit southern Italy between 23 and 24 October 2005, including heavy rains that caused minor landslides and swelling in many rivers and streams. In three hours, more rain fell in the area than Apulia's usual yearly rate. The weather was reported as an "exceptional climate event" by Guido Bertolaso, then president of the Protezione Civile.[1]
The preceding night, a bridge above a dry riverbed in Cassano delle Murge collapsed, killing five. Another bridge near Adelfia collapsed under the water, flooding many roads. In Bari, a car was swept away by a wave in a canal into the sea, killing one. A whole city district was isolated, while another flooded with mud, some of its road demolished by land movements caused by water.
The rain concerned railway officials, who feared that landslides could hit the hillside line serving the city. Local officers organized a patrol to check conditions of the railway, and drove a service vehicle along part of the track, returning minutes before the disaster.