| Hyde railway disaster | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Date | 4 June 1943 13:45 NZST |
| Location | Hyde, Otago, South Island |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Line | Otago Central Railway |
| Operator | New Zealand Railways Department |
| Incident type | Derailment |
| Cause | Excessive speed; Driver intoxicated |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 |
| Passengers | 113 |
| Deaths | 21 |
The Hyde railway disaster occurred on 4 June 1943 near the small settlement of Hyde, Otago, New Zealand, on a bend of the Otago Central Railway. At the time, it was New Zealand's worst railway accident; of the 113 passengers on board, 21 were killed and a further 47 were injured. However, just over 10 years later, the Tangiwai disaster took 151 lives on 24 December 1953. The Hyde disaster remains as the second-worst railway accident in New Zealand's history.