Granville railway disaster
On January 18, 1977, Australia experienced its worst ever railway disaster at Granville, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales.
The crowded 6.09 am commuter train from Mount Victoria in the Blue Mountains to Sydney left the rails, and hit a support of an overhead road bridge constructed from concrete and steel. The bridge, and several cars which were on top of it, crashed down on top of several carriages, crushing them. In all, 83 people died and more than 200 were badly injured. Many of those who died were killed instantly when the bridge sliced the tops off carriages. Miraculously, some of the survivors were in the carriages crushed by the bridge and saw people one seat ahead killed before the bridge bounced over them. An Australian movie made in 1998, Day of the Roses, follows the coronial investigation.
External linksDanger Ahead
A policeman's storyDay of the Roses docudrama film about the disaster.
See also List of disasters in Australia by death toll
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