515:, near Telwatta, the beach saw the first of the gigantic waves thrown up by the earthquake. The train came to a halt as water surged around it, and an alarm sounded to alert the population about the increase in the water level. Hundreds of locals, believing the train to be secure on the rails, climbed onto the top of the cars to avoid being swept away. Others stood behind the train, hoping it would shield them from the force of the water. The first wave flooded the carriages and caused panic amongst the passengers. Ten minutes later a huge wave picked the train up and smashed it against the trees and houses which lined the track, crushing those seeking shelter behind it.
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was spotted by an army helicopter around 4 p.m. The local emergency services were destroyed, and it was a long time before help arrived. Dozens of people badly injured in the disaster died in the wreckage during the day, and many bodies were not retrieved for over a week. Some families descended on the area determined to find their relatives themselves. A forensic team from
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Due to the huge scale of the tsunami disaster, local authorities were unable to cope with the devastation, and emergency services and the military were so overwhelmed that immediate rescue was not possible. In fact, the Sri Lankan authorities had no idea where the train was for several hours until it
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The eight carriages were so packed with people that the doors could not be opened while they filled with water, drowning almost everyone inside as the water washed over the wreckage several more times. The passengers on top of the train were thrown clear of the uprooted carriages, and most drowned or
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According to the Sri Lankan authorities, only about 150 people on the train survived. The estimated death toll was at least 1,700 people, and probably over 2,000, although only approximately 900 bodies were recovered, as many were swept out to sea or taken away by relatives. The town of
Peraliya was
676:
Bruce Parker -The Power of the Sea: Tsunamis, Storm Surges, Rogue Waves 2012 0230112242 "Seismologists at Sri Lanka's only seismic monitoring station, at
Pallekele, Kandy, knew of the earthquake off Sumatra within minutes of its initial shaking at the epicenter, but they thought it was too far away
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and two of the damaged carriages were salvaged and rebuilt. A wave was added to the locomotive's paint job as a memorial. The rebuilt locomotive and carriages returned to
Peraliya on 26 December 2008, and every year since, to take part in a religious ceremony and a memorial, held to remember those
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was carried 100 metres (330 ft), coming to rest in a swamp. Both engineer Janaka
Fernando and assistant Sivaloganathan died at their posts. Estimates based on the state of the shoreline and a high-water mark on a nearby building place the tsunami 7.5 to 9 metres (25 to 30 ft) above sea
31:
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The first anniversary ceremonies were held in the rebuilt town alongside the repaired railway, which still operates a
Colombo-to-Galle service, employing the same guard, W. Karunatilaka, who was on the train and survived the disaster. Locomotive #591
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failed due to all station personnel assisting the train, leaving no one available to answer the phone until after the train had departed. Attempts to reach personnel at stations further south failed as they had fled or been killed by the waves.
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holiday weekend, it left
Colombo's Fort Station shortly after 6:50 a.m. with over 1,500 paid passengers and an unknown number of unpaid passengers including the ones with travel passes (called Seasons) and government travel permits.
199:. The route runs along the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka, and at Telwatta, only about 200 metres (660 ft) inland from the sea. On Sunday, 26 December 2004, during both the Buddhist full moon holiday and the
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registered the earthquake within minutes but did not consider it possible for a tsunami to reach the island. When tsunami reports first reached the dispatching office in
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photographed and fingerprinted the unclaimed bodies at
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179:. The tsunami subsequently caused over 30,000 reported deaths and billions of rupees in property damage in the coastal areas of Sri Lanka.
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167:, with 1,700 fatalities or more. It occurred when a crowded passenger train (No 50, Matara Express) was destroyed on a coastal railway in
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along with his students. More than 200 of the bodies retrieved were not identified or claimed, and were buried three days later in a
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Sumatra-Andaman
Islands Earthquake and Tsunami of December 26, 2004: Lifeline Performance
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Sumatra-Andaman
Islands Earthquake and Tsunami of December 26, 2004: Lifeline Performance
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also destroyed, losing hundreds of citizens and all but ten buildings to the waves.
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718:. Reston, VA: ASCE Press, Technical Council on Lifeline Earthquake Engineering.
644:. Reston, VA: ASCE Press, Technical Council on Lifeline Earthquake Engineering.
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level and 2 to 3 metres (6.6 to 9.8 ft) higher than the top of the train.
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Gunawardena, Ralph (July–August 2015). "The Ordeal of 591 Manitoba".
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688:"Ten years on, the same conductor continues on the tsunami train"
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built in 1956 by
General Motors Diesel of Canada as a model
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Exact figures unknown, at least 900, most likely 1,700+
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Steele, Jonathan. "One train, more than 1,700 dead."
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was a regular train operating between the cities of
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712:Carl Strand and John Masek, ed. (August 2008).
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824:Daily Mirror Online Edition, 26 December 2008.
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165:rail disaster in world history by death toll
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802:Dissanayake, Samanthi (26 December 2005).
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1399:2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
519:were crushed by debris. Locomotive #591
207:The train was pulled by locomotive #591
1031:Ufton Nervet rail crash, United Kingdom
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1378:Sahana FOSS Disaster Management System
251:Tsunami waves strike the crowded train
751:Steele, Jonathan (29 December 2004).
557:ceremony near the torn railway line.
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1414:History of Sri Lanka (1948–present)
1124:North Indian Ocean tropical cyclone
977:Tebay rail accident, United Kingdom
853:BBC first anniversary commemoration
35:One of the cars following the wreck
1040:Cairns train derailment, Australia
804:"Divided island remembers tsunami"
677:for a tsunami to reach Sri Lanka."
161:2004 Sri Lanka tsunami train wreck
24:2004 Sri Lanka tsunami train wreck
14:
1022:Pamukova train derailment, Turkey
753:"One train, more than 1,700 dead"
581:List of rail accidents (2000–09)
511:At 9:30 a.m., in the village of
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1049:Peraliya train wreck, Sri Lanka
1004:Ryongchon disaster, North Korea
949:Railway accidents and incidents
1104:Natural disasters in Sri Lanka
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986:Nishapur train disaster, Iran
863:The Peraliya Official Website
242:Efforts to halt the train at
1424:December 2004 events in Asia
1013:Karanjadi train crash, India
398:World Cricket Tsunami Appeal
213:Sri Lanka Railways class M2a
177:2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
123:2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
1429:2004 disasters in Sri Lanka
1362:Climate change in Sri Lanka
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223:Attempts to stop the train
1404:Railway accidents in 2004
1189:Tropical Depression Wilma
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1419:Derailments in Sri Lanka
621:Canadian Railway Modeler
1149:1964 Rameswaram cyclone
1065:2005 ►
1061:◄ 2003
880:Daily Mirror 26.12.2008
1164:2003 Sri Lanka cyclone
1159:2000 Sri Lanka cyclone
1154:1978 Sri Lanka cyclone
995:Madrid bombings, Spain
586:Transport in Sri Lanka
571:who lost their lives.
383:Tsunami Relief Cardiff
262:earthquake and tsunami
163:is the largest single
55:; 19 years ago
53:December 26, 2004
1339:Tsunami-rail disaster
451:Sri Lanka train wreck
349:Humanitarian response
16:Largest rail disaster
778:"The Tsunami's Wake"
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876:. 29 December 2004.
406:Military operations
858:Sri Lankan account
732:on 24 October 2013
658:on 24 October 2013
627:(2): 16–17, 20–21.
591:Sri Lanka Railways
429:Unified Assistance
279:Countries affected
175:that followed the
121:Tsunami caused by
104:Sri Lanka Railways
1409:2004 in Sri Lanka
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373:Reach Out to Asia
363:Football for Hope
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1334:in Sri Lanka
1317:and tsunamis
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95:Coastal line
18:
1315:Earthquakes
906: /
692:www.efe.com
244:Ambalangoda
1393:Categories
1234:landslides
1232:Floods and
894:80°05′28″E
528:Casualties
333:Indirect:
187:Train #50
129:Statistics
60:2004-12-26
891:6°10′08″N
787:2 October
762:2 October
697:2 October
561:Aftermath
378:Rugby Aid
318:Sri Lanka
293:Indonesia
229:Pallekele
201:Christmas
169:Sri Lanka
86:Sri Lanka
76:Hikkaduwa
1371:See also
1299:November
1294:May–June
1279:December
1141:Specific
810:12 March
782:TIME.com
575:See also
568:Manitoba
555:Buddhist
521:Manitoba
513:Peraliya
473:Timeline
463:Category
323:Thailand
303:Maldives
298:Malaysia
233:Maradana
209:Manitoba
100:Operator
72:Peraliya
68:Location
1249:October
1117:General
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1038:
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1002:
993:
984:
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955: (
736:11 July
662:11 July
535:Colombo
468:Commons
393:WaveAid
335:Finland
313:Somalia
308:Myanmar
193:Colombo
173:tsunami
150:Injured
82:Country
58: (
45:Details
1110:Storms
1045:Dec 26
1036:Nov 15
1027:Nov 6
1018:Jul 22
1009:Jun 17
1000:Apr 22
991:Mar 11
982:Feb 18
973:Feb 15
722:
648:
415:Garron
340:Norway
197:Matara
142:Deaths
134:Trains
1350:Other
1290:2021
1270:2018
1245:2014
806:. BBC
597:Notes
288:India
183:Train
171:by a
118:Cause
113:Flood
1329:2004
1324:1615
1306:2024
1286:2019
1266:2017
1261:2016
1241:2010
1129:2016
957:2004
953:2004
812:2016
789:2018
764:2018
738:2012
720:ISBN
699:2018
664:2012
646:ISBN
545:, a
211:, a
195:and
159:The
153:100+
92:Line
50:Date
1274:May
951:in
239:.
217:G12
1395::
870:,
780:.
755:.
690:.
625:20
623:.
605:^
219:.
74:,
1097:e
1090:t
1083:v
959:)
940:e
933:t
926:v
814:.
791:.
766:.
740:.
701:.
666:.
500:e
493:t
486:v
62:)
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