Aracaju train crash
| Aracaju train crash | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Details | |
| Date | March 20, 1946 |
| Location | Aracaju |
| Country | Brazil |
| Operator | VFF Leste Brasileiro[1] |
| Incident type | Derailment |
| Cause | Brake Failure caused by worn-out brakes |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 |
| Passengers | 1000 |
| Deaths | 185 |
| Injured | 300 |
The Aracaju train crash, which occurred on March 20, 1946, is the worst ever rail disaster in Brazil; resulting in the deaths of 185 people[2] and 300 injured.[3] The accident happened near Aracaju, capital of the coastal state of Sergipe, 800 miles (1,287 km) northeast of Rio de Janeiro.[2]
The train concerned was a suburban service operating between Aracaju and Capela, Sergipe,[4] and carrying about one thousand passengers.[2] The locomotive, baggage car and three passenger cars[5] were derailed whilst descending a steep incline near Aracaju,[2] most of the dead being "smashed within the cars", "Many bodies were mutilated so badly that identification was impossible".[5]
Grief-stricken relatives came to the scene and nearly lynched the surviving locomotive engineer who, depending on the source, either took refuge in a police station[3] or fled the area later to surrender in the town of Laranjeiras, Sergipe.[2] The train conductors also fled.[5]
References
- ^ "São Cristóvão". Estações Ferroviárias.
- ^ a b c d e Haine, Edgar A. (1993). Railway Wrecks. pp. 145–146. ISBN 0-8453-4844-2.
- ^ a b "Lynch Threat by Train Crowd". The Sydney Morning Herald. March 22, 1946.
- ^ The San Mateo Times. California. March 21, 1946.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ a b c "Daily Kennebec Journal Archives, Mar 21, 1946, p. 1". NewspaperArchive.com. 1946-03-21. Retrieved 2020-12-29.