Marhanets train accident
Locomotive accident
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The Marhanets train accident occurred on 12 October 2010, at Marhanets, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine when a train collided with a passenger bus on a railroad level crossing. Forty-three people were reported dead and nine injured.[4] The bus driver, whose actions allegedly caused the collision, was killed in the accident as well.[4][dubious – discuss] The collision was the worst single road accident in Ukraine's history by number of victims.[5]
| Marhanets train accident | |
|---|---|
A railway crossing near Marhanets where the collision occurred | |
 | |
| Details | |
| Date | 12 October 2010 08:30 a.m. local time (05:30 UTC)[1] |
| Location | Marhanets, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast |
| Coordinates | 47°39′05″N 34°35′02″E |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Line | Zaporizhzhia-Marhanets |
| Operator | Ukrainian Railways |
| Incident type | Level crossing collision |
| Cause | Violation of traffic rules[2] |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 |
| Passengers | 54 |
| Deaths | 45[3] |
| Injured | 9[4] |
Accident
The collision between a BAZ A079 midibus carrying around 48 passengers and a VL8 locomotive occurred at 08:30 a.m. local time (05:30 UTC)[1] at an unstaffed automated railway crossing.[6] Of those who were killed, 38 died at the scene and the others in hospitals from their injuries.[4]
Ukrzaliznytsia's press service reported that a preliminary theory on the cause of the accident was the violation of traffic rules by the driver of the bus.[2]
Reaction of the authorities
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine planned to allocate ₴100,000 (approx. 12,600 US dollars) to each family of those killed and injured in a collision.[6] Officials said this was the deadliest vehicle accident in the country's history.[7] President Viktor Yanukovych, on a visit to the region at the time, declared Wednesday the 13th a day of national mourning.[4] Yanukovych also ordered for an investigation into the incident to be carried out in order to determine who bore responsibility for the crash[8] and instructed transport officials to install automated crossing gates at all railway crossings to prevent cars, buses and trucks from ignoring signals.[7]
Road and railway accidents are common in Ukraine, where the roads are in poor condition, vehicles are poorly maintained, and drivers and passengers routinely disregard safety and traffic rules.[9]