Railway accident in the 2nd Yamagami tunnel

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Class D51 steam locomotive

Railway accident in the 2nd Yamagami Tunnel ( Japanese 肥 薩 線 列車 退 行 事故 , Hisatsu-sen ressha genko jiko , German "Railway accident on the Hisatsu Line caused by a rolling train") occurred immediately after the end of the war on August 22, 1945 in the second Yamagami -Tunnel ( 山神 第二 ト ン ネ ル , Yamagami dai-ni tonneru ) on the Hisatsu route in Japan . 53 people died in the accident.

Starting position

On August 22, 1945, a train with demobilized soldiers drove north on the Hisatsu route . The train was a steam engine of the series D51 pulled and five cars and eight open freight cars, as Behelfspersonenwagen were used formed; a second D51 was a push locomotive at the end of the train .

The single-track, second Yamagami tunnel is located on an uphill section of the line between Yoshimatsu ( 吉松 駅 , today: Yūsui City) and Masaki , towards Hitoyoshi .

the accident

When the train entered the 650 m long tunnel at 10:30 a.m., it did not make the climb and stopped because the train was too heavy and the coal - due to the war - had too low a calorific value . In order to avoid smoke and heat and the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning , many of the travelers got out after a while and tried to reach the tunnel exit on foot. After some time, the train crew, who were also overwhelmed by the situation and the lack of oxygen, decided to let the train roll backwards downhill out of the tunnel. The few safety niches in the side wall of the tunnel were insufficient for the crowd. Numerous people were run over by the backward train.

consequences

Presumably 53 people died (the figures vary between 49 and 57).

At the instigation of a local women's association, a memorial was erected at the tunnel entrance in 1961. A memorial ceremony is held annually on the anniversary of the accident.

literature

  • Leaflet on the mountain route of the Hisatsu Line.

Remarks

  1. ↑ The accident situation and cause of the accident are comparable with the railway accident in Balvano , Italy, which also occurred in 1944 due to insufficient coal due to the war and which cost more than 500 people their lives.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c 帰 郷 か な わ ず ～ 第二 山神 ト ン ネ ル の 悲劇 (for example: Not having arrived at home - the accident in the second Yamagami tunnel). Washimo, May 18, 2005, accessed November 10, 2017 (Japanese).
  2. ↑ jun Sameshima ( 鮫 島 潤 ): 『肥 薩 線 回 り』 . Kagoshima City Medical Association, 2010, accessed November 10, 2017 (Japanese, reports 54 fatalities).

Coordinates: 32 ° 3 ′ 15 "  N , 130 ° 44 ′ 10.8"  E