| Desjardins Canal disaster | |
|---|---|
 A sketch of the Desjardins Canal disaster. | |
 | |
| Details | |
| Date | March 12, 1857 |
| Location | Hamilton, Canada West, British North America |
| Incident type | Train wreck |
| Cause | Bridge collapse |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 |
| Passengers | 90 |
| Deaths | 59[1] |
| Injured | 18[2] |
The Desjardins Canal disaster was a rail transport disaster near Hamilton, Canada West. The train wreck occurred at 6:15 p.m. on March 12, 1857 when a train on the Great Western Railway crashed through a bridge over the Desjardins Canal, causing the train and its passengers to fall 18 metres (60 ft) into the ice below.[1] With 59 deaths, it is considered one of the worst rail disasters in Canadian history.[2]
- ^ a b "Desjardins Canal Disaster". Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper. 1857-04-04.
- ^ a b "10 of Canada's worst train accidents". Maclean's. 9 July 2013. and one of the deadliest bridge collapses in history.