2004 Sri Lanka tsunami train wreck

The 2004 Sri Lanka tsunami train wreck was the largest single rail disaster in history (by death toll). It was caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Train
Train #50, the Matara Express, also known as the "Queen of the Sea" line, was a regular train between the Sri Lankan capital Colombo and Matara. The train, overcrowded with 1800+ passengers, left Colombo on 26 December 2004.

Tsunami strikes the train
At 9:30 am in the village of Peraliya  gigantic waves arrived at the beach. The first wave flooded the carriages and caused panic among the passengers. The next wave arrived after 10 minutes. It was huge and washed away the train and smashed it against trees and houses which were nearby.

Casualties
The huge waves of tsunami  destroyed the train and only 150 passengers out of more than 1800 survived. About 1700 were reported dead, even though only 900 bodies were recovered. The  Sri Lankan authorities did not know where the train was washed to. After 4 pm, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's helicopter identified it. Even though there were  rescue operations not more than 150 people survived and the village was also washed away by the waves.

References

Category:2004 in Asia
2004 train wreck
Category:2000s disasters in Asia
Category:Railway accidents in Asia
Category:2004 disasters