1995 Baku Metro fire
Encyclopedia
The 1995 Baku Metro fire broke out in the subway system
in Azerbaijan
's capital, Baku
, on 28 October, between the Ulduz and Nariman Narimanov stations, killing 289 people and injuring 265 others. The fire was deemed to have been caused by electrical malfunction but the possibility of deliberate sabotage was not excluded.
Although ninety-five percent of the people who evacuated the train survived, the fire remains the world's deadliest subway
disaster. On account of the catastrophe, the Swedish transport authorities in Stockholm
decided to try to reduce the risk of a similar accident and to endeavour to limit the possible lethal effects if one were ever to happen.
stations serve the northern part of Azerbaijan
's capital, Baku
. The tunnel
between them was equipped with a controllable ventilation system
, but had a relatively narrow cross-section
(height 5.6 metres (18.4 ft), width 5 metres (16.4 ft)).
Before 1995 the deadliest subway accident was the Malbone Street Wreck
of 1918 in New York City, which killed as many as 93 people. The deadliest subway conflagration before 1995 was the Paris Métro train fire
of 1903, which ended the lives of 84.
on Saturday, at about 6 pm. The affected train, consisting of five fully loaded cars, had just left Ulduz station for Nariman Narimanov. The passengers in car
number 5 smelled smoke. Later, passengers in car 4 observed white smoke, which soon turned black and caused irritation. The putative electrical malfunction (a sparkover or electric arc
in electrical equipment in the rear of the fourth car) stopped the train about 200 meters from Ulduz station. When the train stopped, the tunnel became filled with smoke. The driver reported the incident and demanded that the power be cut. However, lethal emissions of carbon monoxide
from the burning synthetic materials in the cars affected the passengers within a short space of time. Because of difficulties with the opening of the doors in one of the cars, the passengers were forced to evacuate through another car. Some 15 minutes after the fire started, the ventilation system was switched over to exhaust mode and much of the smoke was drawn in the direction of evacuation. Several people were electrocuted
while trying to grasp cables in order to escape the blazing train.
The majority of those killed people (including 28 children) were found inside the train, most of them either crushed or trampled to death. Forty bodies were found inside the tunnel. Survivors recalled sparks flying from high-voltage cables just after the train left the Ulduz station. One of the passengers, Tabil Huseynov, 45, described the situation as follows: "As soon as the train entered the tunnel, I saw a flash. Then the flames enveloped the train car, there was a sound of breaking glass, and the lights went out. People started breaking windows to get out. We were starting to suffocate."
The estimated number of victims varied after the fire. Morgue officials reportedly counted at least 303 bodies, while the independent Azerbaijani news agency Turan quoted medical officials as saying the number of people killed was 337. A two-day mourning period started the next day, October 29. Foreign aid was sent, particularly by the Swedish Rescue Services Agency. Lukoil
rendered 9,000 United States dollars of financial aid to the families of victims.
" equipment. However two mysterious large holes in the side of one of the wrecked carriages have been reportedly found and Azeri national television quoted experts who said the holes indicated the use of an explosive device. President Heydar Aliyev
told a United States official that, while preliminary information indicated a technical fault, the fire was "possibly an organised act of sabotage".
The Supreme Court of Azerbaijan convicted two persons for criminal negligence. The metro operator was sentenced to 15 years in prison and the station traffic-controller to 10 years.
Baku Metro
Baku Metro is a rapid transit system serving Baku the capital of Azerbaijan. First opened on November 6, 1967, during the time of the Soviet Union, it has the features found in most other ex-Soviet systems, including very deep central stations, and exquisite decorations that blend traditional...
in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
's capital, Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
, on 28 October, between the Ulduz and Nariman Narimanov stations, killing 289 people and injuring 265 others. The fire was deemed to have been caused by electrical malfunction but the possibility of deliberate sabotage was not excluded.
Although ninety-five percent of the people who evacuated the train survived, the fire remains the world's deadliest subway
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
disaster. On account of the catastrophe, the Swedish transport authorities in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
decided to try to reduce the risk of a similar accident and to endeavour to limit the possible lethal effects if one were ever to happen.
Background
The Ulduz and Nariman Narimanov metroBaku Metro
Baku Metro is a rapid transit system serving Baku the capital of Azerbaijan. First opened on November 6, 1967, during the time of the Soviet Union, it has the features found in most other ex-Soviet systems, including very deep central stations, and exquisite decorations that blend traditional...
stations serve the northern part of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
's capital, Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
. The tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
between them was equipped with a controllable ventilation system
Ventilation (architecture)
Ventilating is the process of "changing" or replacing air in any space to provide high indoor air quality...
, but had a relatively narrow cross-section
Cross section (geometry)
In geometry, a cross-section is the intersection of a figure in 2-dimensional space with a line, or of a body in 3-dimensional space with a plane, etc...
(height 5.6 metres (18.4 ft), width 5 metres (16.4 ft)).
Before 1995 the deadliest subway accident was the Malbone Street Wreck
Malbone Street Wreck
The Malbone Street Wreck, also known as the Brighton Beach Line Accident of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company , was a rapid transit railroad accident that occurred November 1, 1918, beneath the intersection of Flatbush Avenue, Ocean Avenue, and Malbone Street, in the community of Flatbush, Brooklyn...
of 1918 in New York City, which killed as many as 93 people. The deadliest subway conflagration before 1995 was the Paris Métro train fire
Paris Metro train fire
The disastrous Paris Métro train fire occurred on the evening of August 10, 1903, on what was then Line 2 Nord of the system and is now Line 2...
of 1903, which ended the lives of 84.
Event
The fire, caused by an electrical fault, occurred during the evening rush hourRush hour
A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute...
on Saturday, at about 6 pm. The affected train, consisting of five fully loaded cars, had just left Ulduz station for Nariman Narimanov. The passengers in car
Railroad car
A railroad car or railway vehicle , also known as a bogie in Indian English, is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...
number 5 smelled smoke. Later, passengers in car 4 observed white smoke, which soon turned black and caused irritation. The putative electrical malfunction (a sparkover or electric arc
Electric arc
An electric arc is an electrical breakdown of a gas which produces an ongoing plasma discharge, resulting from a current flowing through normally nonconductive media such as air. A synonym is arc discharge. An arc discharge is characterized by a lower voltage than a glow discharge, and relies on...
in electrical equipment in the rear of the fourth car) stopped the train about 200 meters from Ulduz station. When the train stopped, the tunnel became filled with smoke. The driver reported the incident and demanded that the power be cut. However, lethal emissions of carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide , also called carbonous oxide, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is highly toxic to humans and animals in higher quantities, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal...
from the burning synthetic materials in the cars affected the passengers within a short space of time. Because of difficulties with the opening of the doors in one of the cars, the passengers were forced to evacuate through another car. Some 15 minutes after the fire started, the ventilation system was switched over to exhaust mode and much of the smoke was drawn in the direction of evacuation. Several people were electrocuted
Electrocution
Electrocution is a type of electric shock that, as determined by a stopped heart, can end life. Electrocution is frequently used to refer to any electric shock received but is technically incorrect; the choice of definition varies from dictionary to dictionary...
while trying to grasp cables in order to escape the blazing train.
The majority of those killed people (including 28 children) were found inside the train, most of them either crushed or trampled to death. Forty bodies were found inside the tunnel. Survivors recalled sparks flying from high-voltage cables just after the train left the Ulduz station. One of the passengers, Tabil Huseynov, 45, described the situation as follows: "As soon as the train entered the tunnel, I saw a flash. Then the flames enveloped the train car, there was a sound of breaking glass, and the lights went out. People started breaking windows to get out. We were starting to suffocate."
The estimated number of victims varied after the fire. Morgue officials reportedly counted at least 303 bodies, while the independent Azerbaijani news agency Turan quoted medical officials as saying the number of people killed was 337. A two-day mourning period started the next day, October 29. Foreign aid was sent, particularly by the Swedish Rescue Services Agency. Lukoil
LUKoil
Lukoil/LUKoil ; ) is Russia's second largest oil company and its second largest producer of oil. In 2009, the company produced 97.615 million tons of oil; ....
rendered 9,000 United States dollars of financial aid to the families of victims.
Investigation
The government inquiry commission concluded that the fire was caused by an electrical fault. No explosives were found. The commission's chairman, Deputy Prime Minister Abbas Abbasov mentioned the "outdated SovietSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
" equipment. However two mysterious large holes in the side of one of the wrecked carriages have been reportedly found and Azeri national television quoted experts who said the holes indicated the use of an explosive device. President Heydar Aliyev
Heydar Aliyev
Heydar Alirza oglu Aliyev , also spelled as Heidar Aliev, Geidar Aliev, Haydar Aliyev, Geydar Aliyev was the third President of Azerbaijan for the New Azerbaijan Party from June 1993 to October 2003, when his son Ilham Aliyev succeeded him.From 1969 till 1982, Aliyev was also the leader of Soviet...
told a United States official that, while preliminary information indicated a technical fault, the fire was "possibly an organised act of sabotage".
The Supreme Court of Azerbaijan convicted two persons for criminal negligence. The metro operator was sentenced to 15 years in prison and the station traffic-controller to 10 years.
Further reading
- Wahlstrom, B. The Baku underground railway/metro fire. Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Tunnel Incident Management, Korsor, Denmark, 13-15 May 1996