Escambray ENGLISH EDITION
This accident classifies as a “catastrophic railway accident of the first category”, according to the Mitrans’s 66/97 Resolution “Regulation of rail accidents and incidents”
The railway accident that took place last February 24th in the Sancti Spiritus-Zaza del Medio railway branch in which six passengers were killed and nearly 50 got injured, was due to a violation on the part of the rail car crew, according to the final report of the Ministry of Transport (Mitrans, in Spanish).
The document issued by the ministerial commission, which was specially designated by the minister, states that the crew violated the crossing established at the Tuinucú station, with the 4534 extra train, which was travelling in the opposite direction bringing sugar cane for the Melanio Hernández sugar mill.
According to the investigation, whose final results were made known to Escambray, material damages as a result of the collision amount to 16 676 pesos Cuban pesos, in addition to the interruption of the road for almost seven hours.
Given its characteristics this accident classifies as a “catastrophic railway accident of the first category”, according to the Mitrans’s 66/97 Resolution “Regulation of rail accidents and incidents”.
As a result of the collision, Sergio Sotolongo Gómez (55), Yoanky Hernández Entenza (36), Dioney Martín Martínez (41), Adelina Iznaga Castellanos (58), Raúl Martínez Cruz (64) and Reinaldo Carmona Farfán (65) died, while other 48 people got injured in different ways.
Ministry of Interior sources confirmed that both the conductor and the engineman of the motor car are currently held in custody.
I have read the above item, but am none the wiser as to the cause of this tragedy. I understand that one passenger train collided with another sugar cane train; were they on the same track, or a crossing of tracks? More information please.
Please, read it again. There is also a previous information you can reach from the first paragraph.
Thank you; yes, I can see that one train had the right of way, but the other train did not allow this, hence the accident. In the UK those responsible will be prosecuted; will this happen in this case I wonder?
Of course, the guilty ones will be punished.
Thanks for this excellent response.