2004 Sri Lanka tsunami train wreck | |
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Details | |
Date | December 26, 2004 |
Location | Peraliya, Hikkaduwa |
Country | Sri Lanka |
Line | Coastal line |
Operator | Sri Lanka Railways |
Incident type | Flood |
Cause | Tsunami caused by 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake |
Statistics | |
Trains | 1 Train (No. 50) |
Deaths | Exact figures unknown, at least 900, most likely 1,700+ |
Injured | 100+ |
The 2004 Sri Lanka tsunami train wreck is the largest single rail disaster in world history by death toll, with 1,700 fatalities or more. It occurred when a crowded passenger train (No 50, Matara Express) was destroyed on a coastal railway in Sri Lanka by a tsunami that followed the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. The tsunami subsequently caused over 30,000 reported deaths and billions of rupees in property damage in the coastal areas of Sri Lanka.