Where did the Tangiwai rail disaster happen?
At 10.21 p.m. on Christmas Eve 1953 the Wellington–Auckland night express plunged into the flooded Whangaehu River at Tangiwai, 10 km west of Waiōuru in the central North Island. Of the 285 passengers and crew on board, 151 died in New Zealand’s worst railway accident.
Who was affected in the Tangiwai disaster?
The Tangiwai disaster was especially tragic for the Nicholls family from Palmerston North and the Benton family from Marton, which each lost five members, and the Fitzgerald family from Lower Hutt, which lost four. Amidst the death and carnage, though, there were some good-luck stories.
When was the Waitangi disaster?
December 24, 1953
Tangiwai disaster/Start dates
What caused the Tangiwai train 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 tangiwai?
151
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.
What caused the Tangiwai railway disaster 1953?
24 December 1953 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. The timing of the accident added to the sense of tragedy.
Why was the Tangiwai disaster important?
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.
What caused the Tangiwai disaster?
How many people died in Tangiwai railway disaster?
On Christmas Eve 60 years ago, 151 people died in the Tangiwai railway disaster. A dramatic mudflow, or lahar, was unleashed from Mt Ruapehu when the crater lake’s wall collapsed.
When did the Tangiwai bridge collapse in New Zealand?
Tangiwai disaster. The Tangiwai disaster occurred at 22:21 on 24 December 1953 when the Whangaehu River bridge collapsed beneath Wellington-to-Auckland express passenger train No. 626 at Tangiwai, in the central North Island of New Zealand.
When did Ruapehu and the Tangiwai disaster happen?
Ruapehu and the Tangiwai disaster Mt Ruapehu erupted in 1945, but by the end of the year the excitement was over. The crater, about 300 metres deep, slowly refilled with water. The mountain did not seem dangerous, and it was no longer being monitored. By 1953, however, Crater Lake was 8 metres higher than its level before 1945.
Where was the worst train accident in New Zealand?
At 10.21 p.m. on Christmas Eve 1953 the Wellington–Auckland night express plunged into the flooded Whangaehu River at Tangiwai, 10 km west of Waiōuru in the central North Island. Of the 285 passengers and crew on board, 151 died in New Zealand’s worst railway accident.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5yUASqe0bY