Hitrino train derailment

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Hitrino train derailment
Location of Shumen Province in Bulgaria
Location of Shumen Province in Bulgaria
Date 10 December 2016
Time 05:37 EET (03:37 UTC)
Location Hitrino, Shumen Province
Country Bulgaria
Rail line Varna-Ruse line
Operator Bulmarket
Type of incident Derailment
Cause Under investigation
Statistics
Trains 1
Deaths 7[1]
Injuries 29

On 10 December 2016, a freight train derailed, exploded and caught fire in the village of Hitrino in Shumen Province, Bulgaria, killing at least seven people and injuring 29 others.

Accident[edit]

At 05:37 local time (03:40 UTC) on 10 December 2016,[2] a Bulmarket freight train travelling from Burgas to Ruse derailed in Hitrino, Shumen Province, Bulgaria. The company specialises in transport of fuels over rail and road. Two of the wagons, which were carrying propane-butane and propylene, struck an electricity pylon, exploded and caught fire,[3][4] engulfing at least fifty buildings,[5] one of which collapsed, trapping several children. The three train drivers (two in the lead and the third driver in the second electric locomotive) survived the accident.[3] Seven people were killed[6] and 29 injured.[7] An evacuation of the village was ordered as 150 firefighters fought the blaze;[8] it was extinguished by midday.[2] The injured were taken to hospitals in Shumen and Varna.[4] Some of them sustained burns to 90% of their body.[3]

It was reported that sparks had been seen coming from the locomotive of the train immediately before the accident, possibly indicative of heavy braking.[9]

Background[edit]

The incident occurred on the oldest railway line in Bulgaria, connecting the country's main riverine port on the Danube in the city of Ruse and the main port on the Black Sea in Varna. The line was built during Ottoman rule by British private investors in the 1860s. The railway station in Hitrino was also the site of the first railway accident in Bulgaria in 1866.

The train operator Bulmarket Rail Cargo was founded in 2004 and in the same year acquired a license for railway operations. It operates second hand Danish (Class EA) and British (Class 87) electric locomotives like those involved in the incident, as its mainline motive rolling stock, as well as diesel-hydraulic locomotives for shunting duties. Bulmarket DM, the mother corporation of Bulmarket Rail Cargo, has the city of Ruse as its headquarters and main base of operations with its own railway yard, Bulmarket Port and fuel storage facilities.

Investigation[edit]

Bulgaria's Chief Prosecutor opened an investigation into the accident.[6]

Reactions[edit]

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov visited the scene. He called for people to donate blood as there was a shortage in the local hospitals.[3] Local response alleviated the shortages.[6] Bulgarian Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski also visited the site, along with top rail officials.[10] A national day of mourning was declared for 12 December 2016.[7]

The Bulgarian Government announced that a fund of 10 million leva (€5.1 million) was to be made available following a special Cabinet meeting on 12 December. The money would be distributed in two ways: 5 million leva (€2.55 million) would go to the Hitrino Municipality, and the other 5 million leva (€2.55 million) would go to the Labour and Social Policy Ministry. The Interior Ministry stated that people who had lost identity documents, passports and driving licences in the fire would have them replaced free of charge.[11]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Death Toll of Bulgaria's Hitrino Blast Reversed to 7". Novinite.com. Sophia News Agency. Retrieved 13 December 2016. 
  2. ^ a b "AFP: 7 killed in blast as Bulgaria gas train derails". Focus News Agency. 10 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016. 
  3. ^ a b c d "Five killed in Bulgarian explosion following train derailment". Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Ltd. Retrieved 10 December 2016. 
  4. ^ a b "Хитрино: преди и след взрива" [Hitrino: before and after the explosion] (in Bulgarian). Capital. Retrieved 10 December 2016. 
  5. ^ Gigova, Radina. "Bulgaria train derailment: 5 killed in blast". CNN. Retrieved 10 December 2016. 
  6. ^ a b c "Death Toll of Bulgaria's Hitrino Blast Rises to 7". Novinite.com. Sofia News Agency. Retrieved 10 December 2016. 
  7. ^ a b "Five killed as cargo train explodes in Bulgaria". Reuters. Retrieved 10 December 2016. 
  8. ^ "At least four people die after train explodes in Bulgaria". Associated Press. Retrieved 10 December 2016. 
  9. ^ "Bulgarian Transport Minister on Hitrino train explosion: Sparks were seen coming from locomotive". Sofia Globe. 10 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016. 
  10. ^ "Bulgarian freight train derails and explodes, killing five". BBC News Online. Retrieved 10 December 2016. 
  11. ^ "Bulgarian government grants 10M leva to assist blast-hit Hitrino village". Sofia Globe. Retrieved 12 December 2016. 
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