The Marhanets train accident occurred on 12 October 2010, at Marhanets, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine when a train collided with a passenger bus on a railroad level crossing. 43 people were reported dead and nine injured.[4] The bus driver, whose actions allegedly caused the collision, was killed in the accident as well.[4][dubiousdiscuss] The collision was the worst single road accident in Ukraine's history by number of victims.[5]

Marhanets train accident
A railway crossing near Marhanets where the collision occurred
Details
Date12 October 2010
08:30 a.m. local time (05:30 UTC)[1]
LocationMarhanets, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
Coordinates47°39′05″N 34°35′02″E / 47.65139°N 34.58389°E / 47.65139; 34.58389
CountryUkraine
LineZaporizhzhia-Marhanets
OperatorUkrainian Railways
Incident typeLevel crossing collision
CauseViolation of traffic rules[2]
Statistics
Trains1
Passengers54
Deaths45[3]
Injured9[4]

Accident

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Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in Ukraine

The collision between a midibus carrying around 48 passengers and a locomotive occurred at 08:30 a.m. local time (05:30 UTC)[1] at an unmanned automated railway crossing.[6] Of those who were killed, 38 died at the scene and the others in hospitals from their injuries.[4]

Ukrzaliznytsia's press service reported that a preliminary theory on the cause of the accident was the violation of traffic rules by the driver of the bus.[2]

Reaction of the authorities

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The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine planned to allocate ₴100,000 (approx. 12,600 US dollars) to each family of those killed and injured in a collision.[6] Officials said this was the deadliest vehicle accident in the country's history.[7] President Viktor Yanukovych, on a visit to the region at the time, declared Wednesday the 13th a day of national mourning.[4] Yanukovych also ordered for an investigation into the incident to be carried out in order to determine who bore responsibility for the crash[8] and instructed transport officials to install automated crossing gates at all railway crossings to prevent cars, buses and trucks from ignoring signals.[7]

Road and railway accidents are common in Ukraine, where the roads are in poor condition, vehicles are poorly maintained, and drivers and passengers routinely disregard safety and traffic rules.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Forty killed as train hits bus in Ukraine". AFP. 12 October 2010. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Ukrzaliznytsia forms commission to investigate cause of bus-train accident". Kyiv Post. 12 October 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  3. ^ Умерла уже 45-я жертва аварии под Марганцем Archived 2010-10-18 at the Wayback Machine(in Russian)
  4. ^ a b c d e "Train and bus collide in Ukraine, 43 killed". Reuters Africa. 12 October 2010. Archived from the original on 10 June 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  5. ^ Balmforth, Richard (13 October 2010). "Train crushes bus, leaving 41 dead in Ukraine's worst traffic accident". Edinburgh: Scotsman.com. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
  6. ^ a b "Azarov: Government to allocate Hr 100,000 to each family of train-bus collision victims". Kyiv Post. 12 October 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  7. ^ a b "Forty-three killed in bus, train crash". Archived from the original on 2010-10-20. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
  8. ^ "Ukraine train and bus collision kills 42". BBC News Online. 12 October 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  9. ^ 40 killed in Ukraine train collision