Violet Town rail accident
| Violet Town rail accident | |
|---|---|
LeDawn Archive, Pictures Collection, State Library Victoria | |
| Details | |
| Date | 7 February 1969 |
| Location | Violet Town, Victoria 173 km (107 mi) N from Melbourne |
| Country | Australia |
| Line | North East railway line |
| Operator | Victorian Railways |
| Incident type | Collision |
| Cause | Driver heart attack |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 2 |
| Passengers | 190 |
| Deaths | 9 |
| Injured | 117 |
The Violet Town rail accident, also known as the Southern Aurora disaster, was a railway accident that occurred on 7 February 1969 following the incapacitation of the driver of one of the trains, near the McDiarmids Road crossing, approximately 1 km south of Violet Town, Victoria, Australia. The crash resulted in nine deaths and 117 injuries.