Zagreb train disaster
Encyclopedia
The Zagreb train disaster occurred on August 30, 1974, when an express train
traveling from Belgrade
to Dortmund
derailed before entering Zagreb Main Station
(then in Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
, present-day Croatia
), killing 153 people. It was the worst rail accident in the country’s history to that date and remains one of the worst in Europe’s history. Many of the passenger
s died immediately, as many as 41 of whom could not be identified and were buried in a common grave
at the Mirogoj Cemetery
.
The passengers found were mainly gastarbeiter
s from Germany
and their families, including a lot of children. The driver and assistant remained unharmed, and the locomotive
intact. The locomotive is now on display in the Croatian Railway Museum.
The train was arriving into Zagreb from Vinkovci
at 19.45 local time. The driver, Nikola Kneževic and his assistant Stjepan Varga, were both exhausted, both of them having worked for two full days.
A subsequent investigation into the accident showed that the train at several sites exceeded the speed limit
by nearly 70 kilometers per hour, so that instead of entering the station at the speed limit of 40 km/h, the engine driver rushed in with a speed of 104 km/h. They also began to hit the brakes too late, so that the train derailed and soon became an unrecognizable wreck.
The driver was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment
, and his assistant to 8 years. The court upheld their fatigue due to spending 52 hours working as a mitigating circumstance
.
The surviving passengers reported that the train had not slowed down while passing through the stations at Ludina and Novoselec
, about an hour before reaching Zagreb Main Station, and that it had leaned dangerously.
Express train
Express trains are a form of rail service. Express trains make only a small number of stops, instead of stopping at every single station...
traveling from Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
to Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
derailed before entering Zagreb Main Station
Zagreb Main Station
Zagreb Main Station is the central railway station in Zagreb and the largest railway station in Croatia. It is located in the center of Zagreb, on King Tomislav Square....
(then in Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
, present-day Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
), killing 153 people. It was the worst rail accident in the country’s history to that date and remains one of the worst in Europe’s history. Many of the passenger
Passenger
A passenger is a term broadly used to describe any person who travels in a vehicle, but bears little or no responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination....
s died immediately, as many as 41 of whom could not be identified and were buried in a common grave
Potter's field
A potter's field was an American term for a place for the burial of unknown or indigent people. The expression derives from the Bible, referring to a field used for the extraction of potter's clay, which was useless for agriculture but could be used as a burial site.-Origin:The term comes from...
at the Mirogoj Cemetery
Mirogoj Cemetery
The Mirogoj Cemetery is considered to be one of the most beautiful cemetery parks in Europe and, because of its design, numbers among the more noteworthy landmarks in the City of Zagreb....
.
The passengers found were mainly gastarbeiter
Gastarbeiter
Gastarbeiter is German for "guest worker." It refers to migrant workers who had moved to West Germany mainly in the 1960s and 70s, seeking work as part of a formal guest worker programme...
s from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and their families, including a lot of children. The driver and assistant remained unharmed, and the locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
intact. The locomotive is now on display in the Croatian Railway Museum.
The train was arriving into Zagreb from Vinkovci
Vinkovci
Vinkovci is a city in Croatia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County. In the 2011 census, the total population of the city was 35,375, making it the largest town of the county...
at 19.45 local time. The driver, Nikola Kneževic and his assistant Stjepan Varga, were both exhausted, both of them having worked for two full days.
A subsequent investigation into the accident showed that the train at several sites exceeded the speed limit
Speed limit
Road speed limits are used in most countries to regulate the speed of road vehicles. Speed limits may define maximum , minimum or no speed limit and are normally indicated using a traffic sign...
by nearly 70 kilometers per hour, so that instead of entering the station at the speed limit of 40 km/h, the engine driver rushed in with a speed of 104 km/h. They also began to hit the brakes too late, so that the train derailed and soon became an unrecognizable wreck.
The driver was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment
Imprisonment
Imprisonment is a legal term.The book Termes de la Ley contains the following definition:This passage was approved by Atkin and Duke LJJ in Meering v Grahame White Aviation Co....
, and his assistant to 8 years. The court upheld their fatigue due to spending 52 hours working as a mitigating circumstance
Mitigating factor
A mitigating factor, in law, is any information or evidence presented to the court regarding the defendant or the circumstances of the crime that might result in reduced charges or a lesser sentence.-Death penalty in the United States:...
.
The surviving passengers reported that the train had not slowed down while passing through the stations at Ludina and Novoselec
Novoselec
Novoselec is a village in central Croatia located southeast of Križ. The population is 1,363 ....
, about an hour before reaching Zagreb Main Station, and that it had leaned dangerously.