Awash rail disaster


On January 13, 1985, an express train derailed on a curving bridge over the gorge of the Awash River at Awash, Ethiopia. The official death toll was 428, with more than 500 injuries. It is the worst recorded train crash in Africa.

Accident

The train was an express traveling from Dire Dawa to Addis Ababa on the rail line from Djibouti, overcrowded with approximately 1,000 passengers. Crossing the bridge over the ravine at Awash, which is long and curving, four cars derailed, beginning with the rear car, and fell into the ravine.
Initial reports were that as many as 449 had been killed; Ethiopian radio later reported 428 deaths. More than 500 were said to have been injured.
It was the most deadly train crash in Africa and at the time the third worst train accident worldwide.

Cause

The Ethiopian Ministry of Transportation blamed the crash on excessive speed at the curve; the driver was arrested.