Currents Home
Home

Articles

Gallery

Free Newsletter

Book Shop

Links

Site Map

Help Page

Search


Make your voice heard at the Danger Ahead! Forum

Sound off about this item


Currents

Currents
   

Hidden Dangers - 20% DISCOUNT

AUSTRIA:
150 die as funicular train blazes in tunnel

DA! : Saturday November 11, 2000
It is feared
Kaprun 11 Nov 2000
photo : bbc
that at least 150 people have been killed in a train fire under the Austrian Alps.
A funicular railway taking skiers to ski slopes on Kitzsteinhorn mountain, near Salzburg caught fire as it passed through the tunnel. The train is thought to have been some 600 metres insdie the tunnel.

A mechanical fault is believed to have stopped the train inside the tunnel where the fire broke out. Fresh air drawn into the tunnel from the lower portal of the tunnel fanned the fire and brought smoke up to the upper station overcoming and killing 3 more people.

Eight people escaped from the blazing train by smashing windows and walking to safety throught the tunnel.

The funicular railway was the first opened in 1974 to become the first alpine underground railway. It was extensively modernised in 1994. Trains consist of three cars and can carry 180 people.

BBC Online: Austrian tunnel inferno kills 150 11/11/2000

Info: The Gletscherbahn Kaprun and the whole village of Kaprun are in mourning 11/11/2000

Ananova: 'Number of deaths' on Austrian fire train 11/11/2000


Join the discussion

Earlier story
140 trapped in burning Alpine train
11 Nov 2000


Links

Funimag

Photographs of the Gletscherbahn Kaprun, Austria

Look at Train Accident Site

Related Items

Italy: 4 Die in 'Football Special' fire
24 May 2000

Currents

Seven days . . .
. . . web focus on rail safety and accidents in the last week
Search

Search currents


powered by FreeFind

Erik's Rail News
ERN Headlines

Accidents   Features     7 Days   Gallery   Bookshop   SignalPost   Newsletter   Postcards   Guestbook   Forum   Links   Map   Search   Contact

Click Here!

This file last updated: Saturday, 11-Nov-2000 17:02:20 EST
Copyright © David Fry 1999, 2000