Katongola railway accident

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Scene of the accident (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Scene of the accident
Scene of the accident

In the Katongola railway accident on April 22, 2014, a freight train derailed in the province of Katanga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , on which a large number of dodgers were traveling. The accident occurred near the Katongola Bridge. The sources on the number of travelers killed are unclear, the figures vary between 48 and 100. The number of injured is estimated at over 150.

Starting position

The train of SNCC went from Kamina in Katanga north to mwene-ditu in the province of Kasai Oriental . The two locomotives were new and pulled 19 freight cars . Several hundred stowaways also traveled on the train and on the roofs of the wagons.

The DRC's rail infrastructure is in poor shape. The route network was essentially built in the Belgian colonial era. After 1960 there was little investment, despite repeated financial support from the World Bank . Corruption, inadequate maintenance, lack of money, poorly trained staff, etc. have led to a slow deterioration in the infrastructure. It is reported that the railway employees sometimes have to wait months for their payment. Many travelers buy tickets on the black market , which is supplied by underpaid employees, or they simply jump on trains as fare dodgers. In the last major railway accident in the DR Congo, the Benaleka railway accident , over 100 travelers died and around 220 were injured.

the accident

Eyewitnesses reported that the train was traveling at excessive speed. Allegedly he drove at 60 km / h at a point for which only 40 km / h were permitted. The train derailed on the open route between 10:00 and 11:00 local time (9:00–10:00 CET) about 65 kilometers north of Kamina, where the railway line leads in an arc to a river bridge and shortly afterwards reaches Katongola . The two locomotives and 15 of the 19 cars derailed. Government spokesman Lambert Mende suspected a technical failure of the locomotive.

consequences

The reported number of fatalities fluctuates, which is not unusual given the source situation and immediately after an accident:

  • The local newspaper "Congo Indépendant", which refers to official reports from six aid organizations, speaks of at least 350 deaths. It is alleged that the government will purposely lower the number of victims.
  • A member of the non-governmental organization Justicia , who visited the scene of the accident, reported about 100 bodies (April 24, 2014).
  • The Frankfurter Rundschau from April 29, 2014 reported 74 deaths.
  • Reuters reports 69 deaths, but also names the number 56.
  • the BBC reported at least 63 deaths
  • and 60 deaths were reported immediately after the accident (April 24, 2014).
  • The number 57 was also mentioned.
  • The government gave 48 deaths as the "final" number (April 25, 2014).

A large number of people were also injured, although the numbers do not fluctuate that much:

  • The government gave 160 injured - 12 of them seriously injured - as the final figure (April 25, 2014).
  • On April 25, 2014, the "Congo Indépendant" spoke of 161 injured.
  • "StarAfrica" ​​named 162 injured on April 25, 2014.

Rescue workers reportedly needed several hours to reach the scene of the accident. The army sent a heavy crane to retrieve people trapped under the rubble.

Web links

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d NN: DR Congo train crash search continues . In: SBS of April 25, 2014.
  2. ↑ a b NN: At least 50 killed in Congo train crash: sources . Reuters April 23, 2014.
  3. ↑ a b c NN: Scores killed in DR Congo train crash .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Al Jazeera of April 23, 2014.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.aljazeera.com  
  4. ↑ NN: Déraillement d'un train à Kamina: contradictions sur le nombre of victimes . Angence d'information de l'Afrique Central of April 24, 2014.
  5. ^ A b Accident de train au Katanga: "350 morts et 161 blessés", selon des organizations de la société civile . Congo Indépendant. April 25, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
  6. ↑ At least 57 dead in train accident in Congo . NZZ . April 24, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  7. ↑ Frankfurter Rundschau of April 29, 2014, p. 39.
  8. ^ NN: DR Congo train in deadly Katanga derailment . In: BBC News Africa v. April 23, 2014
  9. ^ NN: At least 60 killed in DR Congo train crash . In: Xinhua, April 24, 2014.
  10. ↑ a b NN: 48 morts et 162 blessés dans l'accident ferroviaire en RD Congo ( Memento of the original from April 29, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . In: StarAfrica of April 25, 2014  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / fr.starafrica.com

Coordinates: 8 ° 25 ′ 1.9 ″  S , 24 ° 41 ′ 10.7 ″  E