NORTH ISLAND MAIN TRUNK EXPRESS DERAILED.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17809, 7 July 1923, Page 15

NORTH ISLAND MAIN TRUNK EXPRESS DERAILED.

COLLISION WITH BIG BOULDEK. 15 PASSENGERS KILLED; 30 INJURED. A railway disaster attended by heavy loss of life occurred eaxly yesterday morning on the North Island Main Island Railway line. The official report of the General Manager of Bailways on the disaster was read to the House of Representatives as follows: I regret to report a very serious accident, attendant with loss <~f life and injury, to passengers who left Auckland by the Southbound express last [Thursday] evening. The departure of the train was postponed from 7.10 p.m. until 11.20 p.m., partly owing to the fact that a heavy slip which occurred at Owhango on the 4th mst. [Wednesday] derailed the locomotive of a goods train, badly damaging and completely blocking the main line. To meet this emergency the South-bound train from Auckland, and the Northbound train from Wellington on the 4th inst. were held at Taumarunui and Taihape respectively for some hours, and then taken to the vicinity of tlio slip, where the passengers were transferred. The South-bound express reached Wellington nine hours late, and the North-bound express arrived at Auckland eleven hours late. Immediately after the 11.20 p.m. South-bound train passed Qngarue at 8.15 this [Friday] morning, it ran into a slip south of the station, with the result that the train was badly derailed. Four cars were badly telescoped, 14 passengers being killed and 30 injured. The fireman was scalded. A relief train with doctors was promptly dispatched to tho scene of the accident, and reached Taumarunui on its return at 9.30 a.m. A special train with break-down gear and staff was despatched from Auckland this morning, and a special train taking an engineering staff and other expert staff was also despatched from Wellington. One of the injured passengers died yesterday afternoon, bringing the deathroll up to 15. Several others are in a dangerous or serious condition.