In the

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

state of

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

, on June 6, 1981, a passenger train carrying more than 800 passengers between Mansi (Dhamara Pul) and

Saharsa Saharsa is a city and municipal corporation in the Saharsa District in the eastern part of the state of Bihar, India. It is situated near the eastern banks of the Kosi River. It serves as the administrative headquarters for the Saharsa District ...

, derailed while crossing a bridge and plunged into the river

Bagmati The Bagmati River flows through the Kathmandu valley of Nepal, separating the cities of Kathmandu and Patan, before flowing through Madesh Province of southern Nepal and joining the Kamla River in the Indian state of Bihar. It is considered ...

. After five days, more than 200 bodies were recovered, with hundreds more missing that were feared washed away by the river. Estimates of total deaths range from 500 to 800 or more. By the afternoon of June 12, the government had completed its recovery efforts and had issued an official death toll of 235 passengers, with 88 survivors. The death toll included three people whose bodies were not recovered. The crash is the deadliest-ever rail accident in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Cause

The cause of the crash is uncertain and the events were not well documented. Theories as to the cause of the crash include a

cyclone In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an ant ...

flash flooding A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice and snow. Flash flo ...

and brake failure.

References

External links

Encyclopædia Britannica: Bihar train disaster
{{coord, 25, 34, 20, N, 86, 35, 25, E, region:IN-BR_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Derailments in India Railway accidents in 1981 1981 disasters in India Disasters in Bihar History of Bihar (1947–present) June 1981 in India Railway accidents and incidents in Bihar

Cause

See also

References

External links