What happened Tangiwai disaster?
The Tangiwai disaster occurred at 10:21 p.m. on 24 December 1953 when a railway bridge over the Whangaehu River collapsed beneath an express passenger train at Tangiwai, North Island, New Zealand. The locomotive and the first six carriages derailed into the river, killing 151 people.
Who died in the Tangiwai disaster?
This list is dedicated to those who lost their lives on Christmas Eve 1953. You are not forgotten.
| ADIN | Henry | 66 |
|---|---|---|
| DOOLE | Elizabeth Graham | 26 |
| DROWN | Alan Maxwell | 18 |
| EDGECUMBE | Patricia Margarita | 22 |
| EILERS | Ngaire Joyce | 27 |
What impact did Tangiwai disaster have on NZ?
New Zealand’s worst railway disaster occurred 60 years ago on Christmas Eve 1953, when the Wellington–Auckland night express plunged into the swollen Whangaehu River near Tangiwai. Of the 285 people on board, 151 were killed. The tragedy stunned the world and left a nation in mourning.
What caused the Tangiwai disaster?
The cause of the tragedy was a volcanic lahar from the Mt Ruapehu crater lake, which sent a huge wave of water, silt, boulders and debris surging down the Whangaehu River minutes before the express approached the bridge at Tangiwai.
How many people died in the Tangiwai train disaster?
The worst railway disaster in New Zealand’s history occurred on Christmas Eve 1953 when the Wellington-Auckland night express plunged into the flooded Whangaehu River just west of Tangiwai, 8 km west of Waiouru. Of the 285 people on board, 151 were killed. The tragedy left a nation in mourning, and stunned the world.
Why was the Tangiwai disaster important?
What caused the Tangiwai lahar?
24 December 1953 Of the 285 people on board, 151 were killed. The cause of the tragedy was a volcanic lahar from the Mt Ruapehu crater lake, which sent a huge wave of water, silt, boulders and debris surging down the Whangaehu River minutes before the express approached the bridge at Tangiwai.
How many carriages did the Tangiwai train have?
A giant wave of water, mud and rocks 6 metres high hit and swept away one concrete support of the rail bridge at Tangiwai, almost 10 kilometres from Waiouru. At 10:21 pm the express, consisting of one engine, nine carriages and two vans, and travelling at about 60 kilometres per hour, rocketed onto the weakened bridge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flnExDWx2V4