Balvano train disaster
The Balvano train disaster was the deadliest railway accident in Italian history and one of the worst railway disasters ever. It occurred on the night between 2–3 March 1944 in Balvano, Basilicata. Over 500 people in a steam-hauled, coal-burning freight train (mostly stowaways) died of carbon monoxide poisoning during a protracted stall in a tunnel.
| Balvano train disaster | |
|---|---|
Some of the corpses gathered in the Balvano railway station | |
| Details | |
| Date | 3 March 1944 after 00:50 |
| Location | Balvano, Basilicata |
| Country | Kingdom of Italy |
| Line | Battipaglia–Metaponto railway |
| Operator | Ferrovie dello Stato |
| Incident type | Carbon monoxide poisoning |
| Cause | excessive weight; bad quality coal; lack of natural ventilation in the tunnel |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 |
| Deaths | 517 (official figure by Italian government) |
| Injured | 90 poisoned |
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