Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne derailment
| Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne train derailment | |
|---|---|
Wreckage of the French military train, December 13, 1917 | |
| Details | |
| Date | December 12, 1917 |
| Location | Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne |
| Country | France |
| Line | Maurienne valley rail line, Culoz–Modane railway |
| Operator | French military |
| Cause | Very steep slope of the railway line, insufficient braking power, overloaded coaches. |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 |
| Passengers | 982 |
| Deaths | 435 |
| Injured | 194 |
| Damage | 14 train cars destroyed |
The Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne derailment of December 12, 1917, was a railway accident involving a troop train carrying at least 1,000 French soldiers on their way home for leave from the Italian front in World War I. A derailment as the train descended the Maurienne valley on the Culoz–Modane railway caused a catastrophic crash and subsequent fire in which more than 435 died ; a second record reports that 675 died. It is France's deadliest rail accident to date, and is the third deadliest rail accident in the History of Rail Transportation.