2009 Romanian bus-train collision
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Romanian bus–train collision occurred on August 14, 2009 at 14:10 local time (UTC+3) when at least 14 people died after a collision between a bus and a train in Scânteia
, Iaşi County
, Romania on County Road 248C. The death toll was initially reported as 10. It was the worst accident in Romania in fifteen years.
A minibus, with 16 people on board, was hit by a train at a railway crossing in the county of Iași, near the town of Scânteia
. According to Under-Secretary of State for Health Raed Arafat
, 14 people died, including the driver and a child, and three were seriously injured. The bus, which was hit in the centre, was pushed 350 m to Scânteia train station. The train stopped about 350 meters after the impact. Train traffic in the region came to a standstill for a time.
The train involved in the accident was operated by private rail company Regiotrans
and ran between Iaşi and Braşov
.
police, the accident occurred because the minibus driver failed to comply with light signals and signs at the railway crossing. The driver died two days later after sustaining fatal injuries.
Scânteia, Iasi
Scânteia is a commune in Iaşi County, Romania. It is composed of seven villages: Bodeşti, Boroşeşti, Ciocârleşti, Lunca Rateş, Rediu, Scânteia and Tufeştii de Sus.-Road accident:...
, Iaşi County
Iasi County
Iași is a county of Romania, in Moldavia, with the administrative seat at Iași.-Demographics:As of 1 July 2007, Iași County had a population of 825,100, making it the second most populous county in Romania after Bucharest, with a population density of 150/km².*Romanians - 98.1%*Roma -...
, Romania on County Road 248C. The death toll was initially reported as 10. It was the worst accident in Romania in fifteen years.
Accident
Scânteia, Iasi
Scânteia is a commune in Iaşi County, Romania. It is composed of seven villages: Bodeşti, Boroşeşti, Ciocârleşti, Lunca Rateş, Rediu, Scânteia and Tufeştii de Sus.-Road accident:...
. According to Under-Secretary of State for Health Raed Arafat
Raed Arafat
Raed or Rayed Arafat is a Syrian-born Romanian intensive care physician of Palestinian origin. An anesthesiologist, he is the founder and of Mobile Emergency Service for Resuscitation and Extrication , as well as its Mureş County coordinator.-Biography:Born in Damascus to a Palestinian couple from...
, 14 people died, including the driver and a child, and three were seriously injured. The bus, which was hit in the centre, was pushed 350 m to Scânteia train station. The train stopped about 350 meters after the impact. Train traffic in the region came to a standstill for a time.
The train involved in the accident was operated by private rail company Regiotrans
Regiotrans
Regiotrans is a private rail company headquartered in Brașov, Romania. It was founded in 2005 and is exclusively active in the passenger transport sector.-Routes:Regiotrans primarily runs local trains...
and ran between Iaşi and Braşov
Brasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
.
Victims
All of those dead and injured were on the bus; the train passengers were unhurt. According to sources cited, some of the passengers were thrown out the vehicle following the impact, while others remained trapped in the minibus. The bus driver, whose age was variously reported as 21 or 26, and the other injured persons were reported to be in a state of traumatic coma.Cause
According to the IaşiIasi
Iași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
police, the accident occurred because the minibus driver failed to comply with light signals and signs at the railway crossing. The driver died two days later after sustaining fatal injuries.
External links
- Photos and videos on the accident (CONTAINS BLOODY IMAGES).