Time 23:00 Type of incident Runaway derailment Date 1 August 2007 Injuries 128 | Cause Brake failure Total number of deaths 100 Trains 1 | |
Country Democratic Republic of the Congo Operator Société nationale des Chemins de fer du Congo | ||
The Benaleka train accident occurred on August 1, 2007 near Benaleka in the Democratic Republic of Congo, killing at least 100 people and seriously injuring 128 more.
The accident happened in a remote location 220 kilometres (140 mi) northwest of Kananga in West Kasai province at 11 PM local time. The crash was caused by the failure of the train's brakes. Eight cars derailed; many of those killed had been riding on the roofs and were trapped underneath. The driver was able to detach the locomotive and go for help. Many of the injured were carried by bicycle or even on the backs of others to the nearest hospital, six miles away.
It is the deadliest rail accident on the African continent.
References
Benaleka train accident Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA