More than 60 years ago a train full of passengers plunged into the flooded whangaehu river at tangiwai but family members of the locomotives driver have only just found closure. The causes of the tangiwai disaster is mount ruapehus lahar and the water levels that cause the bridge over the whangaehu river to give way. Tangiwai railway disaster memorial unveiled 1989 duration. List of disasters in new zealand by death toll wikipedia. The tangiwai disaster on 24 december 1953 was the worst rail accident in new zealand history.
Quintinshill disaster 22 may 1915 national records of. It eclipsed the previous worst new zealand railway disaster, the loss of 21. The ruapehu lahar emergency response plan development process. Tangiwai means weeping waters, and the name seemed sadly apt on christmas eve 1953, when a lahar volcanic mud flow partly destroyed the railway bridge over the whangaehu river. Disasters new zealand topic explorer services to schools. Of the 285 passengers on board, 151 died, eclipsing the 21 fatalities at hyde in 1943 to make it new zealands worst railway disaster and one of the worlds worst. Tangiwai book cover nzhistory, new zealand history online. The rail bridge over the river had been badly damaged just minutes. Map of new zealand this is a destroyed carriage what happened during this event. Volcanoes may be vital to life on earth but they can also obliterate large portions of it. About 340,000 cubic metres of water poured into the head of the whangaehu river and swept down the valley, picking up sand, silt and boulders as it went. A new book uncovering two unsung heroes of the tangiwai disaster has become an international mustread. Prime minister sidney holland at the tangiwai disaster.
The tragedy stunned the world and left a nation in mourning. The tangiwai disaster has been explored in several books, including geoff conly and graham stewarts tragedy on the track. New zealands greatest disaster was the crash of a dc10 on mt. This book aims to give an overview on the present state of volcanic lake. Yet very few of them have resulted in natural disasters. The locomotive and first six carriages derailed into the river, killing 151 people. The bridge had been weakened by a lahar mudflow that came from mount ruapehu, and collapsed as the train. The subsequent board of inquiry found that the accident was caused by the collapse of. At the scene of the railway disaster at tangiwai, photographed december 1953 by an unidentified photographer.
The lahar critically damaged the tangiwai railway bridge minutes before arrival of the. Its cover featured this dramatic painting by the australian artist phil belbin, which originally appeared on a readers digest cover. Almost immediately, car z broke free and fell into the river. Vays 20 accounta useful but idiosyncratic book of digressions, unclear sourcing.
Gns science report 200705 2 of the 38 stories received, 16 described earthquakes, nine described storms with high winds, eight described tsunami, four described flooding and one described the aftermath of the 1953 tangiwai disaster. The hyde railway disaster occurred on 4 june 1943 near the small settlement of hyde, new zealand on a bend of the otago central railway. Part of the advances in volcanology book series volcan. Isolate power at tangiwai rail bridge and rail crossing. Of the 285 passengers and crew on board, 151 died in new zealands worst railway accident. There are books which have been written on the tangiwai rail disaster check out your local public or school library to see what they have. For help with downloading a wikipedia page as a pdf, see help. The lightlyconstructed carriages of the troop train were badly damaged by the double impact, which caused many deaths and injuries.
Tangiwai railway disaster tangiwai disaster nzhistory. New zealands own worst volcanic disaster was a breakout lahar from. An eyewitness account of the tangiwai disaster historic. It was, at the time, the worlds eighthdeadliest rail disaster and made headlines around the globe.
Tangiwai disaster nzhistory, new zealand history online. Ruapehu and the tangiwai disaster te ara encyclopedia of. But just over ten years later, the tangiwai disaster took 151 lives on 24 december 1953. It is still the fifth worst disaster in new zealands recorded history. Ellis and william inglis, the train s guard, climbed in to warn the passengers in car z and move them to the carriage behind. Tangiwai is a rural community in the ruapehu district of the manawatuwanganui region of new zealands north island. Damages train carriages after the 1953 tangiwai disaster. This is a list of new zealand disasters by death toll, listing major disasters excluding acts of war which occurred in new zealand and its territories or involved a significant number of new zealand citizens, in a specific incident, where the loss of life was 10 or more. There are books which have been written on the tangiwai rail disaster check out your local public or school library to see what they. Use your sense of smell to work out why tangiwai weeping waters is so named. But the country was about to be shaken by the fifth worst disaster in our history and at the time the eighth biggest rail disaster in the world. The tangiwai disaster on december 24 1953, was the worst rail accident in new zealand.
The worst railway disaster in new zealands history occurred on christmas eve 1953 when the wellingtonauckland night express plunged into the flooded whangaehu river just west of tangiwai, 8 km west of waiouru. New zealands worst railway disaster occurred on 25 december 1953 at tangiwai in the central north island. New zealands worst railway disaster occurred 60 years ago on christmas eve 1953, when the wellingtonauckland night express plunged into the swollen whangaehu river near tangiwai. When the gas canisters on the troop train carriages caught fire many men were trapped and burned to death in the resulting conflagration. On christmas eve each year the express train slows as it crosses the new bridge across the whangaehu river, and the driver throws a bunch of flowers into the water. The whangaehu river rail bridge collapsed beneath wellingtontoauckland express passenger train. The wellingtonauckland passenger express plunged into the river, killing 151 people, in new zealands worst rail disaster. At the time, tangiwai was the eighth biggest railway disaster the world had seen. Search and rescue tangiwai disaster nzhistory, new. Tangiwai rail disaster roadside stories nzhistory, new. Ncert books pdf download 2020 for class 12, 11, 10, 9, 8.
This is a wikipedia book, a collection of wikipedia articles that can be easily saved, imported by an external electronic rendering service, and ordered as a printed book. Book cover to journey to tangiwai on 24 december christmas eve 1953, the wellingtontoauckland express train derailed at. After the engine and five carriages had crashed into the flooded wangaehu river, arthur ellis entered the train and, with the guard, went forward to the sixth. Select an event in the book that several different people were involved in. Tangiwai means weeping waters, and the name seemed sadly apt on christmas eve 1953, when a lahar volcanic mud flow partly destroyed the railway bridge over the tangiwai river. At tangiwai on the night of 24 december 1953 arthur cyril ellis was witness to a railway disaster he had endeavoured to avert by waving his torch ahead of the approaching express. When it came to rest, ellis, inglis and one of the passengers, john holman, managed to get all but one of the 22 passengers out through the broken windows. The wellingtonauckland passenger express plunged into the river, killing 151 people in new zealands worst rail disaster. Palaeohydraulic analysis of the 1953 tangiwai lahar. Causes and consequences the tangiwai disaster 1953. Shows wrecked rail carriages on the banks of the whangaehu stream and a group watching from above. Multiple accounts were received for a small number of events. Tangiwai railway disaster christchurch city libraries.
A manatu taonga audio guide to new zealands worst rail disaster. Ballantynes fire, the sinking of the wahine or the napier earthquake and use the final chapters of journey to tangiwai as the model for their own eye witness account of being involved in a disaster. A graphic story was told by one of the survivors of the tangiwai railway disaster, miss. Organisational response to the 2007 ruapehu crater lake dam. Tangiwai railway disaster 1953 by ting sun digitalnz. Disasters of the century season 3 episode molasses flood. Tangiwai diagram of mt rupehu 24th of december christmas eve of 1953 a north bound wellingtonauckland express train carrying 285 passengers, was heading towards the whangaehu river in tangiwai. The disaster remains new zealands worst rail accident. New zealands worst railway accident occurred at tangiwai in the central north island on 24 december 1953. Science report disaster stories 03 massey university. A 11carriage overnight wellington to auckland north island main trunk express train, carrying mainly passengers travelling north to auckland for christmas, fell into the whangaehu river at tangiwai, ten kilometres six miles north of waiouru.
The deaths of 230 people make quintinshill the biggest railway disaster to. Tangiwai was the site of what is considered to be the worst railway disaster in new zealands history. It is located east of ohakune and rangataua and west of waiouru on state highway 49 new zealands worst rail accident, the tangiwai disaster, occurred at tangiwai on 24 december 1953. Erebus toll 257, next was the hawkes bay earthquake toll 256, the wreck of the h. Tangiwai memorial ministry for culture and heritage. Tangiwai is new zealands fifth worst disaster by death toll and remains prominent in our historical consciousness. Tangiwai disaster academic dictionaries and encyclopedias. Introduction tangiwai disaster1953 the top contenders. On christmas day 1953, 151 people died in thetangiwai disaster, caused by an earlier eruption at mt. Tv footage from 2003 of the 50th anniversary of the 1953 tangiwai railway disaster in which 151 people died. Board of inquiry into derailment of wellingtonauckland express at whangaehu river bridge between tangiwai and karioi railway stations on 24 december 1953. Memorial service planned for 18 june 1989 at the site of the 1953 tangiwai disaster, with a memorial monument to be unveiled. Earlier in the night of the disaster the wall of the crater lake broke, sending a flurry of water, mud and rock down the side of the mountain, the lahar thundered towards the tangiwai bridge and as it hit the 3rd and 4th piers of the bridge were significantly damaged, they hadnt fallen over but they were very weak and on the verge of collapsing.
The tragedy left a nation in mourning, and stunned the world. It happened on christmas eve 1953, when the passenger train travelling from wellington to auckland suddenly plunged into the whangaehu river at tangiwai and 151 people lost their lives. Ncert books pdf free download for class 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 april 14, 2020 by kishen 16 comments there are many books in the market but ncert books. Check out the ministry for culture and heritages audio guide in the image carousel above. An 11carriage overnight express from wellington to auckland fell into the whangaehu river at tangiwai, 10 km 6 miles west of waiouru. Nz railways tangiwai disaster 50th anniversary footage. The consequences of the tangiwai disaster is the remains of the train, deaths and upset families, also a lahar warning system has been put in place.