Rometta Marea derailment
Encyclopedia
The Rometta Marea derailment occurred on Saturday July 20, 2002, in Rometta Marea, part of the Rometta
comune
in Sicily
, Italy
.
The Espresso (express train
) 1932 Freccia della Laguna, a Ferrovie dello Stato
train coming from Palermo
to Messina, where it would join another convoy coming from Siracusa, derailed while entering the town of Rometta Marea and hit an abandoned building, 400 meters from a pass-through railway station.
Out of the 190 passengers on board, 8 were killed and 47 were injured.
E656.032 was a well-kept unit, and underwent major maintenance just a few weeks before. The speed limit on the line is 120 km/h, but the train was traveling at about 105 km/h.
Maintenance was conducted on the line a few days before due to reports of abnormal banking by some train drivers; however, no major problems were found. After post-maintenance tests were completed, the usual speed limit on the line was restored.
The derailment happened a few minutes before 7 p.m., after the train passed Venetico
, while crossing a small bridge above the Saponara
stream near the Rometta Marea station, 32 kilometers from Messina, in a place hardly reachable by rescue vehicles.
The locomotive, FS Class E656
unit 032, abruptly left the rails. The next four carriages derailed and swerved across the rails, demolishing a nearby building (an old depot) owned by Ferrovie dello Stato
and inhabited by three families of railwaymen, who were absent at the time. A fifth carriage derailed slightly, while two others stayed on the rails.
The "whip effect" from the carriages turned the locomotive backwards, but carriages were only slightly hit by the out-of-control machine. The bridge was hit and partially collapsed.
One of the two joined bodies of the locomotive hit the walls above the stream entrenchment, before dangling seven meters off the ground at the side of the bridge.
Ten specialists from nearby Palermo
Vigili del Fuoco
's SAF forces (specialized in alpine, cave and river rescue), led by Commander Baldassare Battaglia, were dispatched to the disaster, along with four rescue vehicles, a truck with electric light projectors, two rescue helicopter
s and a heli-ambulance.
From Messina a hundred men from the Aosta Mechanized Infantry Brigade, with vehicles and first response equipment, were sent to the scene to help with the rescue. Helicopters from Messina navy base were placed on alert in case they were needed.
A train engineer, 36 year old Marcello Raneri, was trapped in the crushed cabin. When the rescuers arrived the scene, he shouted and called for help but could not be recovered. After an hour, medics and firemen chose to amputate his legs in order to promptly remove him from the unstably balanced locomotive.
The second engineer, two Sri Lanka
n passengers, two Sicilian men and an unknown victim were initially recovered from the wreck. Two corpses were recovered later. Six of the seven casualties were in three compartments of the second carriage, the one that hit the building.
30 other passengers were injured, five of whom were in critical condition.
survey, was caused by a critical failure of a switch. Initial reports blaming the accident on bridge collapse were found erroneous. The hypothesis of a boogie failure was considered and rejected by railway technicians. Bogies underwent a periodic check just one month before, and achieved just 6 thousand kilometers after the routine checks.
Two inquiries, a technical one and a judiciary one, were set up.
Many engineers serving on the line were questioned by railway police; most of them reported (as some of them did before the accident to supervisors) anomalous shocks and quivering around the switches near the Semenzara bridge.
These early reports alerted the local chief technician, who stressed the need for a line check with the national administration. This led to maintenance works on the line, which were completed just three days before the accident, bringing the speed limit back to 120 km/h from the temporary limit of 60 km/h.
Concetta Crescenti, wife of the deceased engineer Nania, told the inquirers that his husband frequently complained to her about the wobbling while crossing that area. Maintenance works found and fixed many problems in the old railway equipment, including some broken wooden sleepers and rail misalignment.
Trenitalia
, the railway operator, alerted the police and detectives about the report, and the railwayman was questioned. Photos of the scene were examined, but no evidence of tampering was found.
Ferrovie dello Stato
suspended its advertising campaign in the days following the tragedy.
The train wreckage was left at the track side until 2004, when Police removed the seals protecting evidences and the engine, along with three coaches, was moved in a nearby location, and is still there.
, just 20 kilometers away, killing twenty.
In 1978 the same passenger train had been involved in another disaster
, in Murazze di Vado. The Freccia della Laguna trampled another train and fell into a ravine, killing 42 and wounding 120.
Rometta
Rometta is a comune in the Province of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about 180 km east of Palermo and about 12 km west of Messina...
comune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
The Espresso (express train
Express train
Express trains are a form of rail service. Express trains make only a small number of stops, instead of stopping at every single station...
) 1932 Freccia della Laguna, a Ferrovie dello Stato
Ferrovie dello Stato
Ferrovie dello Stato is a government-owned holding which manage infrastructure and service on the Italian rail network. The subsidiary Trenitalia is the main rail operator in Italy.-Organization:Ferrovie dello Stato subsidiaries are:...
train coming from Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
to Messina, where it would join another convoy coming from Siracusa, derailed while entering the town of Rometta Marea and hit an abandoned building, 400 meters from a pass-through railway station.
Out of the 190 passengers on board, 8 were killed and 47 were injured.
Train and rails conditions
Maintenance was conducted on the line a few days before due to reports of abnormal banking by some train drivers; however, no major problems were found. After post-maintenance tests were completed, the usual speed limit on the line was restored.
Accident
On July 20 the Freccia della Laguna left Palermo at 4 p.m., headed for Messina. There, the train would join another convoy, from Siracusa, and begin a long journey to northern Italy, ending in Venice's Santa Lucia station, where it was expected at 10.10 a.m. the next day.The derailment happened a few minutes before 7 p.m., after the train passed Venetico
Venetico
Venetico is a comune in the Province of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about 180 km east of Palermo and about 15 km west of Messina...
, while crossing a small bridge above the Saponara
Saponara
Saponara is a comune in the Province of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about 180 km east of Palermo and about 10 km west of Messina. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 4,040 and an area of 26.0 km².Saponara borders the following municipalities: Messina,...
stream near the Rometta Marea station, 32 kilometers from Messina, in a place hardly reachable by rescue vehicles.
The locomotive, FS Class E656
FS Class E656
The Class E656 is an Italian articulated rheostatic-type electric locomotive built from 1973 to 1989. An evolution of the E646/5, they are all-purpose locomotives, and have been used on every kind of train, ranging from freight to intercity passenger trasport.The E656 is nicknamed "Caimano" .-...
unit 032, abruptly left the rails. The next four carriages derailed and swerved across the rails, demolishing a nearby building (an old depot) owned by Ferrovie dello Stato
Ferrovie dello Stato
Ferrovie dello Stato is a government-owned holding which manage infrastructure and service on the Italian rail network. The subsidiary Trenitalia is the main rail operator in Italy.-Organization:Ferrovie dello Stato subsidiaries are:...
and inhabited by three families of railwaymen, who were absent at the time. A fifth carriage derailed slightly, while two others stayed on the rails.
The "whip effect" from the carriages turned the locomotive backwards, but carriages were only slightly hit by the out-of-control machine. The bridge was hit and partially collapsed.
One of the two joined bodies of the locomotive hit the walls above the stream entrenchment, before dangling seven meters off the ground at the side of the bridge.
Rescue operations
A few minutes after the crash, an hundred or so people from the nearby town rushed to the accident scene, including the city mayor, in order to help the passengers. They were quickly overwhelmed by the seriousness of the disaster, and little could be done without specialized equipment.Ten specialists from nearby Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
Vigili del Fuoco
Vigili del Fuoco
The Vigili del Fuoco, literally the Fire Watch, is Italy's institutional agency for fire and rescue service...
's SAF forces (specialized in alpine, cave and river rescue), led by Commander Baldassare Battaglia, were dispatched to the disaster, along with four rescue vehicles, a truck with electric light projectors, two rescue helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s and a heli-ambulance.
From Messina a hundred men from the Aosta Mechanized Infantry Brigade, with vehicles and first response equipment, were sent to the scene to help with the rescue. Helicopters from Messina navy base were placed on alert in case they were needed.
Casualties
A carriage came to a rest just a couple of meters away from a local dweller, Antonio Carini, who was tending his vegetable garden. The carriage luckily remained upright, or the man would have been crushed. Carini was later instrumental in addressing the positions of the dead and injured engineers to the fire brigade led my Chief Giovanni Villari.A train engineer, 36 year old Marcello Raneri, was trapped in the crushed cabin. When the rescuers arrived the scene, he shouted and called for help but could not be recovered. After an hour, medics and firemen chose to amputate his legs in order to promptly remove him from the unstably balanced locomotive.
The second engineer, two Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n passengers, two Sicilian men and an unknown victim were initially recovered from the wreck. Two corpses were recovered later. Six of the seven casualties were in three compartments of the second carriage, the one that hit the building.
30 other passengers were injured, five of whom were in critical condition.
Casualty list
- Saverio Nania, 45-year-old train engineer from San Filippo del MelaSan Filippo del MelaSan Filippo del Mela is a comune in the Province of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about 170 km east of Palermo and about 25 km west of Messina...
, Messina - Maria Antonietta Mammana, 24-year-old from SicilySicilySicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
living in Ludsburg, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... - Placido Caruso, 76-year-old from Messina
- Stefano La Malfa, 51-year-old from MilazzoMilazzoMilazzo is a town and comune in the province of Messina, Sicily, Italy.The city is situated between two bays, one of Milazzo and the east to the west of Patti, in a strategic place in the north-eastern Sicily.Located 43 km from the provincial capital, is part of the metropolitan area of the Strait...
- Abdelhakim Miloudi, 75-year-old from MoroccoMoroccoMorocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
living in Messina - Fatima Fauhreddine, 59-year-old, Miloudi's wife
- Alì, 33-year-old, Miloudi's son
- Larbi, 35-year-old, Miloudi's son
Inquiry
The derailment, according to the first Polizia FerroviariaPolizia Ferroviaria
The Polizia Ferroviaria are the branch of the Italian Polizia di Stato responsible for policing the Italian state railways, managed by the Ferrovie dello Stato.-External links:*...
survey, was caused by a critical failure of a switch. Initial reports blaming the accident on bridge collapse were found erroneous. The hypothesis of a boogie failure was considered and rejected by railway technicians. Bogies underwent a periodic check just one month before, and achieved just 6 thousand kilometers after the routine checks.
Two inquiries, a technical one and a judiciary one, were set up.
Many engineers serving on the line were questioned by railway police; most of them reported (as some of them did before the accident to supervisors) anomalous shocks and quivering around the switches near the Semenzara bridge.
These early reports alerted the local chief technician, who stressed the need for a line check with the national administration. This led to maintenance works on the line, which were completed just three days before the accident, bringing the speed limit back to 120 km/h from the temporary limit of 60 km/h.
Concetta Crescenti, wife of the deceased engineer Nania, told the inquirers that his husband frequently complained to her about the wobbling while crossing that area. Maintenance works found and fixed many problems in the old railway equipment, including some broken wooden sleepers and rail misalignment.
Tampering with evidences
A railwayman based in Rometta submitted a report to the general management, claiming that minutes after the disaster he spotted people tampering with the railroad switch that probably caused the tragedy. The suspects were seen replacing a railway bracket on the spot where the train left the rail, allegedly removing proof of a potential cause of the disaster.Trenitalia
Trenitalia
Trenitalia is the primary train operator in Italy. Trenitalia is owned by Ferrovie dello Stato, itself owned by the Italian Government. It was created in 2000 following the EU directive on the deregulation of rail transport.-Passenger transport:...
, the railway operator, alerted the police and detectives about the report, and the railwayman was questioned. Photos of the scene were examined, but no evidence of tampering was found.
Aftermath
Since the line was only equipped with a single rail, daily traffic between Palermo and Messina was disrupted for several days. Skid signs were recorded on the rails meters before the derailment, pointing to a sub-optimal condition of the rails.Ferrovie dello Stato
Ferrovie dello Stato
Ferrovie dello Stato is a government-owned holding which manage infrastructure and service on the Italian rail network. The subsidiary Trenitalia is the main rail operator in Italy.-Organization:Ferrovie dello Stato subsidiaries are:...
suspended its advertising campaign in the days following the tragedy.
The train wreckage was left at the track side until 2004, when Police removed the seals protecting evidences and the engine, along with three coaches, was moved in a nearby location, and is still there.
Previous accidents
In 1979 two trains collided head-on in the nearby rail tunnel of Galleria Sant'Antonio, in the nearby town of BarcellonaBarcellona Pozzo di Gotto
Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto is a town and comune of about 50,000 inhabitants in the north coast of Sicily, Italy, 40 km from Messina towards Palermo. It belongs to the Province of Messina.-History:...
, just 20 kilometers away, killing twenty.
In 1978 the same passenger train had been involved in another disaster
Murazze di Vado train disaster
The Murazze di Vado train disaster was a railway accident which occurred on April 15, 1978, near Murazze di Vado, an area in the town of Vado, part of the Monzuno comune, Bologna...
, in Murazze di Vado. The Freccia della Laguna trampled another train and fell into a ravine, killing 42 and wounding 120.