Two bodies recovered
’A Wellington Both bodies in the gravel-filled cab of the derailed 78-tonne locomotive perched 30m above State highway 1 near Pukerua Bay were recovered yesterday afternoon. The DA I class locomotive, which left the line about 6 p.m. on Thursday, southbound on a 45km/h curve between two tunnels, is tethered on a bank by wire ropes, about skm from the track. The bodies recovered were those of
Mate Tawera Maaka, aged 29, the guard, of Pomare, Hutt Valley; Murray Edward Johnson, aged 17, a traffic trainee, of Wainuiomata. After confirming late on Thursday evening that the two trapped men were dead, ana that two others had survived with minor injuries, rescuers held off until yesterday morning because of the danger that the locomotive would crash down a steep bank on to the highway. The road was closed until 7 a.m. and then again at 9
a.m. as work began on retrieving the bodies. Tethered to a retaining wall during, the night by five wire ropes, all that held the locomotive from ploughing down was loose gravel in which it was embedded. The survivors of the derailment are Rongo Harry White, the locomotive driver, of Johnsonville, and Whare Massey, of Thomdon, who were treated for shock and sent home. The Acting Minister of Transport (Mr Templeton) and the Acting General Manager of Railways (Mr
I. Trask) were at the scene yesterday morning. Mr Templeton said it was very sad to see two men were killed, and expressed his sympathy to their relatives.
Mr Trask said he hoped an interim report on the accident could be with the Minister last evening but a full investigation might take more time.
Road and rail traffic will be disrupted during the week-end while . railway engineers try to winch the 80-tonne diesel locomotive back from the edge of the drdp to the road.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19780527.2.42
Bibliographic details
Press, 27 May 1978, Page 6
Word Count
310Two bodies recovered Press, 27 May 1978, Page 6
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Copyright in all Footrot Flats cartoons is owned by Diogenes Designs Ltd. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise these cartoons and make them available online as part of this digitised version of the Press. You can search, browse, and print Footrot Flats cartoons for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Diogenes Designs Ltd for any other use.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.