Odisha train accident toll climbs to 288. Here are world's deadliest rail crashes
The train crash in Odisha is one of the deadliest accidents since Indian Independence, with at least 230 killed and over 900 injured. This article lists the other deadliest train crashes that have occurred in India, including the 1981 accident where a train fell into the Bagmati river killing over 750 people, the 1999 Gaisal train disaster that killed over 285 people, and the 2016 Pukhrayan train derailment that killed 152 people.
In 1989, two passenger trains passing each other between the towns of Ufa and Asha in the Ural Mountains exploded due to a leak in the gas pipeline. The resulting explosion is estimated to have been the equivalent of 10,000 tons of TNT and was visible from 95 miles. According to official records, 575 people were killed, including 181 children. There are multiple reports that list even higher death tolls—unofficial sources believe there were closer to 780 deaths that tragic night. Over 100 ambulances carried the injured to local hospitals, over 800 people in official reports.
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In the midst of a violent revolution, 1915 proved to be a turbulent year for Mexico. Due to brake failure, a train completely left the tracks and plummeted into a large canyon and causing over 600 casualties. When Carranza’s troops heard the news, some of them reportedly committed suicide from grief.
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It was on June 6, 1981 that India recorded its worst train accident which occurred in Bihar. A train fell into the river Bagmati while crossing a bridge, killing more than 750 people.
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In January 1917, a train derailment in Eastern Europe lead to over 700 deaths.
Modane train crash of 1917, train derailment in Modane, France in 1917, killed more than 500 French soldiers.
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On August 20, 1995, the Purushottam Express collided with the stationary Kalindi Express near Firozabad. The official death toll was around 305.
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On 26 November 1998, the Jammu Tawi–Sealdah Express collided with three derailed coaches of the Frontier Golden Temple Mail in Khanna in Punjab, killing 212 people.
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August 2, 1999: The Gaisal train disaster occurred when the Brahmaputra Mail crashed into the stationary Avadh Assam Express at Gaisal station in North Frontier Railway's Katihar division, killing more than 285 people and injuring over 300. Many of the victims were Army, BSF or CRPF personnel.
November 20, 2016: The Pukhrayan train derailment occurred when 14 coaches of the Indore–Rajendra Nagar Express derailed at Pukhrayan, approximately 60 km from Kanpur, killing 152 people and injuring 260.
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September 9, 2002: The Rafiganj train wreck occurred when the Howrah Rajdhani Express derailed over a bridge on the Dhave river in Rafiganj, killing more than 140 people. Terrorist sabotage was blamed for the incident.
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December 23, 1964: The Pamban–Dhanuskodi passenger train was washed away by the Rameswaram cyclone, killing over 126 passengers on board.
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May 28, 2010: The Jnaneswari Express train derailment -- The Mumbai-bound train had derailed near Jhargram and was then hit by an oncoming goods train, leading to the death of 148 passengers.
