Pragerhof railway accident

In the Pragerhof railway accident on July 10, 1917, an ammunition transport exploded in the Pragerhof station (today: Pragersko , Slovenia ) on the Spielfeld-Straß-Trieste Centrale railway line . 43 people died.

Starting position

In a freight train that was supposed to go to Csakathurn (today: Čakovec , Croatia), there was a freight wagon that transported sea ​​mines . He stood, ready to sail, on a track of the station Pragerhof. A military holiday train stopped on the neighboring track. An armored train was parked on another adjacent track . He carried the explosive picric acid with him. Picric acid was in the First World War as a filler for grenades used.

the accident

At around 1 a.m., the sea mines exploded. The reason for this could not be determined. The explosion tore a 5 meter deep crater 9 meters in diameter. The superstructure of eight adjacent tracks was destroyed over a length of 420 meters. The shock wave hurled debris into the military holiday train on the adjacent track and overturned the wagons and the armored train's also armored locomotive .

consequences

43 people died and 75 others were injured. At risk of death, it was possible to drive the wagon of the armored train that had loaded the picric acid out of the danger area. Four locomotives and 96 railroad cars were badly damaged or destroyed by the explosion and subsequent fire.

literature

• Ludwig Stockert : Railway accidents (new episode) - Another contribution to railway operations theory . Berlin 1920, No. 307.

Coordinates: 46 ° 23 ′ 48.1 ″  N , 15 ° 39 ′ 49.2 ″  E