TANGIWAI — 1953 · Major Tragedy
The Tangiwai Rail Disaster
At 22:21 on Christmas Eve, 24 December 1953, the Wellington–Auckland express passenger train was crossing the railway bridge over the Whangaehu River near Tangiwai on the North Island when the bridge collapsed. The locomotive and first six carriages plunged into the flooded river. Of the 285 people on board, 151 were killed. A board of inquiry found that the collapse of the natural dam holding back Mount Ruapehu's crater lake had sent a sudden volcanic mudflow (lahar) down the river, destroying one of the bridge piers only minutes before the train arrived. The volcano was not erupting at the time. Passer-by Cyril Ellis tried to warn the train with a torch, but it could not be stopped in time. Tangiwai remains New Zealand's worst rail disaster.
- Date
- 1953
- Place
- North Island, New Zealand, Tangiwai, NZ
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- -39.4650, 175.5770 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 24 December 1953A lahar from Ruapehu's crater lake surged down the Whangaehu River.
- 24 December 1953The express fell from the collapsing bridge into the river; 151 died.
- 23 April 1954The board of inquiry reported that the lahar had destroyed the bridge piers.
- 1954Cyril Ellis and a passenger who helped in the rescue received the George Medal.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Tangiwai disaster en.wikipedia.org ↗
- NZ On Screen — The Truth about Tangiwai nzonscreen.com ↗
- NZHistory — The Tangiwai railway disaster nzhistory.govt.nz ↗
- NZ On Screen
- NZHistory
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
Related Cases
More cases from the 1950s
Categories
Collections
🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.