E1 Train Disaster
Encyclopedia
The 2005 Phú Lộc derailment was an accident to an express passenger train that derailed in central Vietnam
on 12 March 2005 when it was running on the Thong Nhat Railway
, killing 11 people and injuring hundreds, many of which were in a serious condition after the crash. The accident occurred in the Phu Loc
district, Thừa Thiên-Huế Province
when the train was traveling from Hanoi
to Ho Chi Minh city
.
. Some 350 passengers and crew members were aboard the train, which was heading from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, when eight of the 13 cars came off the tracks near the famous Hai Van mountain pass just south of Hue, Vietnam Television
reported.
Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Minh of Hue Central Hospital said 10 people had died at the scene and another man died in the hospital. Authorities were investigating the cause of the derailment, which left at least two carriages completely on their sides, while the others were leaning off the tracks.
Witnesses said the E1 train was traveling at a high speed when it rounded the curve. Television footage showed the remote accident site bordered by the ocean on one side and the mountain on the other.
Rescuers were forced to reach the site by boat and used dozens of fishing boats to transport the wounded from the area. Doctors at the site were told that at least 200 people were injured and being given first aid at Phu Loc district clinic before being transported to hospitals in Huế
or Danang, Minh said. The hospital in Hue is treating 100 people, 60 of whom required surgery, he said.
At Danang General Hospital, a total of 31 injured people were admitted, 12 of them seriously wounded, said Dr. Tran Thi Hoa Ban.
The north-to-south railway network was temporarily disrupted but would resume by Sunday morning, officials said. The remaining passengers were being transported to their destination by bus.
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
on 12 March 2005 when it was running on the Thong Nhat Railway
North-South Railway, Vietnam
The Vietnam North-South Railway, also known as the Reunification Express, is a railway that runs from Ha Noi to Ho Chi Minh City. The total length of this railway is , with a gauge of metre gauge...
, killing 11 people and injuring hundreds, many of which were in a serious condition after the crash. The accident occurred in the Phu Loc
Phu Loc
Phu Loc is a district of Thua Thien-Hue Province in the North Central Coast region of Vietnam.As of 2003 the district had a population of 149,418. The district covers an area of 728 km²...
district, Thừa Thiên-Huế Province
Thua Thien-Hue Province
Thừa Thiên-Huế is a province in the North Central Coast of Vietnam, approximately in the center of the country. It borders Quang Tri Provice to the north and Da Nang City to the south, Laos to the west and the South China Sea to the east. The province has 128 km of coastline, 22,000 ha of...
when the train was traveling from Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
to Ho Chi Minh city
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
.
Incident
The derailed train was heading from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City when it derailed near the Hai Van mountain passHai Van Pass
The Hải Vân Pass , is an approximately 2 mile long mountain pass on National Road 1A in Vietnam. It traverses a spur of the larger Annamite Range that juts into the South China Sea, on the border of Đà Nẵng and Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, near Bach Ma National Park. Its name refers to the mists that...
. Some 350 passengers and crew members were aboard the train, which was heading from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, when eight of the 13 cars came off the tracks near the famous Hai Van mountain pass just south of Hue, Vietnam Television
Vietnam Television
Vietnam Television, or VTV, is the national television broadcaster for Vietnam. Like all media of Vietnam, its programming is directly controlled by the government.-History:...
reported.
Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Minh of Hue Central Hospital said 10 people had died at the scene and another man died in the hospital. Authorities were investigating the cause of the derailment, which left at least two carriages completely on their sides, while the others were leaning off the tracks.
Witnesses said the E1 train was traveling at a high speed when it rounded the curve. Television footage showed the remote accident site bordered by the ocean on one side and the mountain on the other.
Rescuers were forced to reach the site by boat and used dozens of fishing boats to transport the wounded from the area. Doctors at the site were told that at least 200 people were injured and being given first aid at Phu Loc district clinic before being transported to hospitals in Huế
Hue
Hue is one of the main properties of a color, defined technically , as "the degree to which a stimulus can be describedas similar to or different from stimuli that are described as red, green, blue, and yellow,"...
or Danang, Minh said. The hospital in Hue is treating 100 people, 60 of whom required surgery, he said.
At Danang General Hospital, a total of 31 injured people were admitted, 12 of them seriously wounded, said Dr. Tran Thi Hoa Ban.
The north-to-south railway network was temporarily disrupted but would resume by Sunday morning, officials said. The remaining passengers were being transported to their destination by bus.