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These early reports alerted the local chief technician, who stressed the need for a line check with the national administration. This led to maintenance works on the line, which were completed just three days before the accident, bringing the speed limit back to 120 km/h from the temporary limit
268:
A carriage came to a rest just a couple of meters away from a local dweller, Antonio Carini, who was tending his vegetable garden. The carriage luckily remained upright, or the man would have been crushed. Carini was later instrumental in addressing the positions of the dead and injured engineers to
272:
A train engineer, 36-year-old
Marcello Raneri, was trapped in the crushed cabin. When the rescuers arrived at the scene, he shouted and called for help but could not be recovered. After an hour, medics and firemen chose to amputate his legs in order to promptly remove him from the unstably balanced
379:
A railwayman based in
Rometta submitted a report to the general management, claiming that minutes after the disaster he spotted people tampering with the railroad switch that probably caused the tragedy. The suspects were seen replacing a railway bracket on the spot where the train left the rail,
355:
survey, was caused by a critical failure of a switch. Initial reports blaming the accident on bridge collapse were found erroneous. The hypothesis of a bogie failure was considered and rejected by railway technicians. Bogies underwent a periodic check just one month before, and achieved just 6
228:
The "whip effect" from the carriages turned the locomotive backwards, but carriages were only slightly hit by the out-of-control machine. The bridge was hit and partially collapsed. One of the two joined bodies of the locomotive hit the walls above the stream entrenchment, before dangling seven
370:
Concetta
Crescenti, wife of the deceased engineer Nania, told the inquirers that her husband frequently complained to her about the wobbling while crossing that area. Maintenance works found and fixed many problems in the old railway equipment, including some broken wooden sleepers and rail
237:
A few minutes after the crash, a hundred or so people from the nearby town rushed to the accident scene, including the city mayor, in order to help the passengers. They were quickly overwhelmed by the seriousness of the disaster, and little could be done without specialized equipment.
392:
Since the line was only equipped with a single track, daily traffic between
Palermo and Messina was disrupted for several days. Skid signs were recorded on the rails meters before the derailment, pointing to a sub-optimal condition of the rails.
189:
Maintenance was conducted on the line a few days before due to reports of abnormal banking by some train drivers; however, no major problems were found. After post-maintenance tests were completed, the usual speed limit on the line was restored.
202:
left
Palermo at 4 p.m., headed for Messina. There, the train would join another convoy, from Siracusa, and begin a long journey to northern Italy, ending in Venice's Santa Lucia station, where it was expected at 10:10 a.m. the next day.
280:
passengers, two
Sicilian men and an unknown victim were initially recovered from the wreck. Two corpses were recovered later. Six of the seven casualties were in three compartments of the second carriage, the one that hit the building.
362:
Many engineers serving on the line were questioned by railway police; most of them reported (as some of them did before the accident to supervisors) anomalous shocks and quivering around the switches near the
Semenzara bridge.
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248:'s SAF forces (specialized in alpine, cave and river rescue), led by Commander Baldassare Battaglia, were dispatched to the disaster, along with four rescue vehicles, a truck with electric light projectors, two rescue
537:
402:
The train wreckage was left at the track side until 2004, when Police removed the seals protecting evidences and the engine, along with three coaches, was moved in a nearby location, and is still there.
259:
Mechanized
Infantry Brigade, with vehicles and first response equipment, were sent to the scene to help with the rescue. Helicopters from Messina navy base were placed on alert in case they were needed.
186:
E656.032 was a well-kept unit, and underwent major maintenance just a few weeks before. The speed limit on the line is 120 km/h, but the train was travelling at about 105 km/h.
384:, the railway operator, alerted the police and detectives about the report, and the railwayman was questioned. Photos of the scene were examined, but no evidence of tampering was found.
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unit 032, abruptly left the rails. The next four carriages derailed and swerved across the rails, demolishing a nearby building (an old depot) owned by
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and inhabited by three families of railwaymen, who were absent at the time. A fifth carriage derailed slightly, while two others stayed on the rails.
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stream near the
Rometta Marea station, 32 kilometers from Messina, in a place hardly reachable by rescue vehicles.
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Errante, Valentina (21 July 2002). "Deraglia il
Palermo-Venezia Sei morti, una trentina di feriti".
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trampled another train and fell into a ravine, killing 42 and wounding 120.
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The derailment happened a few minutes before 7 p.m., after the train passed
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30 other passengers were injured, five of whom were in critical condition.
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An FS Class E656 engine, similar to the one that derailed in Rometta Marea
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On 15 June 1969 two trains collided head-on in the nearby rail tunnel of
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suspended its advertising campaign in the days following the tragedy.
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Of the 190 passengers on board, 8 were killed and 47 were injured.
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Two inquiries, a technical one and a judiciary one, were set up.
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occurred on Saturday 20 July 2002 in Rometta Marea, part of the
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Accidents and incidents involving Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane
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allegedly removing proof of a potential cause of the disaster.
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indicates the deadliest railway accident in Italian history
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indicates railway accidents resulting in at least 20 deaths
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Coaches and engine are still visible at this location.
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In 1978 the same passenger train had been involved in
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49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
229:metres off the ground at the side of the bridge.
163:, where it would join another convoy coming from
269:the fire brigade led by Chief Giovanni Villari.
336:Fatima Fauhreddine, 59-year-old, Miloudi's wife
293:Saverio Nania, 45-year-old train engineer from
585:Charlotte's Dale train collision, South Africa
356:thousand kilometers after the routine checks.
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8:
434:, just 20 kilometers away, killing twenty.
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210:, while crossing a small bridge above the
612:Potters Bar rail accident, United Kingdom
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109:Learn how and when to remove this message
317:Placido Caruso, 76-year-old from Messina
493:
443:
351:The derailment, according to the first
639:Kasganj level crossing disaster, India
326:Abdelhakim Miloudi, 75-year-old from
303:Giuseppina Manmana, 22-year-old from
7:
255:From Messina a hundred men from the
47:adding citations to reliable sources
320:Stefano La Malfa, 51-year-old from
14:
342:Larbi, 35-year-old, Miloudi's son
594:Al Ayyat railway accident, Egypt
23:
657:Rometta Marea derailment, Italy
648:Igandu train disaster, Tanzania
630:Tenga rail disaster, Mozambique
548:Railway accidents and incidents
339:Alì, 33-year-old, Miloudi's son
34:needs additional citations for
666:Rafiganj train disaster, India
1:
961:Metropolitan City of Messina
241:Ten specialists from nearby
603:Godhra train burning, India
992:
740:Railway accidents in Italy
684:Kurnool train crash, India
621:Jaunpur train crash, India
576:Minot train derailment, US
174:Train and rails conditions
58:"Rometta Marea derailment"
971:July 2002 events in Italy
956:Railway accidents in 2002
922:38.2269667°N 15.4008806°E
886:
693:
566:
468:38.2265417°N 15.4004861°E
276:The second engineer, two
793:Italicus Express bombing
430:, in the nearby town of
375:Tampering with evidences
123:Rometta Marea derailment
946:2002 disasters in Italy
700:2003 ►
696:◄ 2001
675:Farragut derailment, US
16:Train derailment (2002)
927:38.2269667; 15.4008806
473:38.2265417; 15.4004861
252:and a heli-ambulance.
183:
428:Galleria Sant'Antonio
181:
951:Derailments in Italy
421:Freccia della Laguna
397:Ferrovie dello Stato
295:San Filippo del Mela
223:Ferrovie dello Stato
200:Freccia della Laguna
198:On 20 July 2002 the
153:Ferrovie dello Stato
149:Freccia della Laguna
43:improve this article
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464: /
353:Polizia Ferroviaria
407:Previous accidents
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155:train coming from
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817:Train 904 bombing
747:Location and date
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506:La Nuova Sardegna
367:of 60 km/h.
233:Rescue operations
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246:Vigili del Fuoco
217:The locomotive,
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799:Murazze di Vado
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371:misalignment.
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143:The Espresso (
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910:38°13′37.08″N
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823:Rometta Marea
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784:Voghera train
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508:(in Italian).
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456:38°13′35.55″N
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288:Casualty list
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219:FS Class E656
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145:express train
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60: –
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54:Find sources:
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32:This article
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913:15°24′3.17″E
903:
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459:15°24′1.75″E
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41:Please help
36:verification
33:
925: /
870:(Jul 2016)
849:(Jun 2009)
810:(Nov 1980)
801:(Apr 1978)
786:(May 1962)
771:(Dec 1961)
756:(Mar 1944)
471: /
309:Ludwigsburg
250:helicopters
940:Categories
879:(Feb 2020)
864:(Aug 2010)
858:(Apr 2010)
843:(Oct 2006)
841:Rome Metro
837:(Oct 2005)
831:(Jan 2005)
829:Crevalcore
825:(Jul 2002)
819:(Dec 1984)
795:(Aug 1974)
780:(Mar 1962)
769:Fiumarella
765:(Dec 1957)
488:References
432:Barcellona
382:Trenitalia
330:living in
307:living in
278:Sri Lankan
264:Casualties
69:newspapers
847:Viareggio
388:Aftermath
99:June 2015
212:Saponara
208:Venetico
194:Accident
165:Siracusa
976:Rometta
877:Livraga
808:Curinga
763:Codogno
754:Balvano
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554: (
347:Inquiry
332:Messina
328:Morocco
322:Milazzo
313:Germany
299:Messina
243:Palermo
161:Messina
157:Palermo
147:) 1932
127:Rometta
83:scholar
868:Andria
856:Merano
680:Dec 21
671:Sep 15
662:Sep 10
653:Jul 20
644:Jun 24
635:Jun 4
626:May 25
617:May 13
608:May 10
599:Feb 27
590:Feb 21
581:Feb 6
572:Jan 18
419:. The
305:Sicily
134:Sicily
130:comune
85:
78:
71:
64:
56:
438:Notes
415:, in
257:Aosta
138:Italy
90:JSTOR
76:books
835:Bari
556:2002
552:2002
151:, a
121:The
62:news
550:in
159:to
132:in
45:by
942::
496:^
311:,
297:,
140:.
136:,
894:§
889:‡
872:‡
851:‡
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758:§
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106:(
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97:(
87:·
80:·
73:·
66:·
39:.
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