Studénka train disaster 2008
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| Date | 8 August 2008 | ||
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| Time | 10:30 (8:30 UTC) | ||
| Location | Studénka | ||
| Coordinates | 49°42′17.513″N 18°3′4.052″E / 49.70486472°N 18.05112556°ECoordinates: 49°42′17.513″N 18°3′4.052″E / 49.70486472°N 18.05112556°E | ||
| Country | Czech Republic | ||
| Rail line | Česká Třebová – Bohumín (line nr. 270) | ||
| Operator | Czech Railways | ||
| Type of incident | Crash into a collapsed bridge | ||
| Statistics | |||
| Trains | EC 108 Comenius (Kraków – Prague) | ||
| Passengers | approx. 400 | ||
| Deaths | 8 | ||
| Injuries | 64 | ||
| Damage | 136 million CZK | ||
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The Studénka train accident was a rail accident that happened on 8 August 2008 near Studénka, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic, at approximately 10:30 local time (8:30 UTC). The EuroCity train EC 108 Comenius was an express train en route from Kraków, Poland to Prague, Czech Republic that struck a part of a motorway bridge that had fallen onto the railroad track near Studénka railway station in the Czech Republic. The train derailed and eight people were killed with 64 others injured.
The motorway bridge near Studénka railroad station was undergoing repairs that were to last until September 2008. On 8 August the workers were putting a beam to span between the two supports on the sides of the railroad track. Parts of the beam fell onto the track when the train was 452 meters away, approaching the bridge at around 135 km/h (84 mph). The driver noticed the iron bridge carcass swaying and immediately engaged the fast brake and escaped from the control cab to the engine room, which is much better protected against impact. This behavior was later recognized by the Czech Railways inspectors as exactly what drivers should do in this kind of situation. It was said that there is a very high probability that this conduct saved his life. The train struck the obstacle within just a few seconds, by which time the train had slowed to 90 km/h (56 mph). The locomotive and four carriages derailed after the impact; the carriage coupled directly behind the locomotive sustained the most damage. Six other carriages, among them the restaurant carriage, remained on the track. Three freight vans on another track were also derailed. At the time of the accident, there were approximately 400 people on board the train, 105 of them of Polish nationality. There was also a group of people travelling to an Iron Maiden concert in Prague.
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