Railway accident in Pfäffikon ZH
In the railway accident in Pfäffikon , Canton Zurich , on September 12, 1982, a coach collided with a regional train at a level crossing , the barriers of which had been opened prematurely. 39 travelers died.
Starting position
The level crossing on the Effretikon – Hinwil railway line on Kempttalstrasse on the northern edge of the village of Pfäffikon ZH was secured with barriers that were still hand-operated.
The regional train 8477 of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) ran two minutes late and drove around 80 km / h.
Members of the gymnastics and sports club (TSV) from Schönaich , Germany , were traveling in the coach .
the accident
Due to the delay of the train , the gatekeeper , assuming that she had made a mistake in the timetable , reopened the gate after the last scheduled train at about 2:55 p.m. The coach was able to cross the tracks . At the same time the regional train approached. The initiated emergency braking could no longer prevent the collision. In the collision, the bus was lifted, smashed and the bus tank exploded.
consequences
39 passengers on the bus, including 18 married couples, died. Of the 41 inmates, only two women survived. 43 children from Schönaich were orphans , 19 of them were minors .
The SBB had claimed responsibility immediately after the disaster and promised "a comprehensive financial compensation." In addition, donations from all over the world were received for the bereaved after the tragic accident . The amount was only used up at the end of the 1990s. Shortly after the accident, a memorial was erected at the site of the accident , and a memorial plaque was also erected in the Schönaich cemetery to mark the 25th anniversary of the disaster.
literature
- NN: The catastrophe changed Schönaich ( memento from July 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive ). In: Stuttgarter Zeitung v. September 1, 2007.
- Susanne Rehm: The tragedy at the level crossing . In: SZBZ of September 12, 2007.
Coordinates: 47 ° 22 '19.4 " N , 8 ° 46' 28.1" E ; CH1903: 700890 / 247660