1995 Baku Metro fire

Fatal fire accident in Baku, Azerbaijan October 2018 1995 Baku Metro fire Baku Metro car after the 1995 fire.jpg One of the metro cars after the accident, with broken windows to make way for the escape 40 24 47 N 49 53 17 E inline,title yes 1995 10 28October 2025 6:00 p.m. – ? Baku Metro, Baku, Azerbaijan Fire Electrical malfunction 1 289 270 On 28 October 1995, a fire broke out in the subway system of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, between the Ulduz and Nariman Narimanov stations. According to official figures, the fire killed 289 people: 286 passengers (including 28 children) and three rescue workers, while 270 people were injured.28 October 2014 В Баку поминают жертв страшной трагедии в метро Baku Commemorates Victims of Horrible Metro Tragedy http://www.vestikavkaza.ru/news/V-Baku-pominayut-zhertv-strashnoy-tragedii-v-metro.html 15 February 2014 Vestnik Kavkaza Russian The fire was deemed to have been caused by an electrical malfunction, but the possibility of sabotage was not excluded. Although a number of people who evacuated the train survived,Andersen Terje Paaske Børre J. Railroad and Metro Tunnel Accidents http://www.lotsberg.net/artiklar/andersen/en_table_1.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20131029201110/http://www.lotsberg.net/artiklar/andersen/en_table_1.html 29 October 2013 4 April 2010 Lotsberg.net the fire remains the world's deadliest subway disaster.Reeves Phil 31 October 1995 Sabotage fear over metro fire https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/sabotage-fear-over-metro-fire-1580269.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20131216023051/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/sabotage-fear-over-metro-fire-1580269.html 16 December 2013 4 April 2010 The Independent One person, Chingiz Babayev, was posthumously awarded the title of the National Hero of Azerbaijan for saving passengers' lives.2008 Azərbaycanın milli qəhrəmanları National heroes of Azerbaijan http://www.anl.az/down/amq.pdf 29 October 2013 National Library of Azerbaijan Azerbaijani Background The Ulduz and Nariman Narimanov metro stations serve the northern part of Azerbaijan's capital, Baku. The tunnel between them was equipped with a controllable ventilation system, but had a relatively narrow cross-section (height 5.6 m ft, width 5 m ft). Before 1995, the deadliest subway accident was the Malbone Street wreck of 1918 in New York City, which killed at least 93 people. The deadliest subway conflagration before 1995 was the Paris Métro train fire of 1903, which killed 84. Fire The fire, caused by an electrical fault, occurred during the Saturday evening rush hour at about 6:00 p.m. The affected train, consisting of five fully loaded cars, had just left Ulduz station for Nariman Narimanov. The passengers in car number 5 smelled smoke. Later, passengers in car 4 observed white smoke, which soon turned black and caused irritation. The putative electrical malfunction (a sparkover or electric arc in electrical equipment in the rear of the fourth car) stopped the train about 200 meters from Ulduz station. When the train stopped, the tunnel became filled with smoke. The driver reported the incident and demanded that the power be cut. However, lethal emissions of carbon monoxide from the burning synthetic materials in the cars quickly affected the passengers. Because of difficulties opening the doors in one of the cars, the passengers were forced to evacuate through another car. Some 15 minutes after the fire started, the ventilation system was switched to exhaust mode and much of the smoke was drawn in the direction of evacuation. Several people were electrocuted while trying to grasp cables in order to escape the blazing train.http://www.britannica.com/facts/10/40934166/October-28-1995-A-fire-that-envelops-a October 28, 1995 Britannica (Calendar of Events) 5 April 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20110606120336/http://www.britannica.com/facts/10/40934166/October-28-1995-A-fire-that-envelops-a 6 June 2011 dead dmy-all The majority of those killed (including 28 childrenReeves Phil 30 October 1995 Old wiring caused worst metro disaster https://www.independent.co.uk/news/old-wiring-caused-worst-metro-disaster-1580102.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20131230120617/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/old-wiring-caused-worst-metro-disaster-1580102.html 30 December 2013 4 April 2010 The Independent) were found inside the train, most of them either crushed or trampled to death. Forty bodies were found inside the tunnel. Survivors recalled sparks flying from high-voltage cables just after the train left the Ulduz station. One of the passengers, Tabil Huseynov, 45, described the situation as follows: "As soon as the train entered the tunnel, I saw a flash. Then the flames enveloped the train car, there was a sound of breaking glass, and the lights went out. People started breaking windows to get out. We were starting to suffocate."https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/30/world/subway-fire-kills-300-in-caucasus-capital.html Subway Fire Kills 300 in Caucasus Capital The New York Times 30 October 1995 4 April 2010 The estimated number of victims varied after the fire. Morgue officials reportedly counted at least 303 bodies, while the independent Azerbaijani news agency Turan quoted medical officials as saying the number of people killed was 337. A three-day mourning period was declared. Lukoil rendered $9,000 (or 18,000 dollars in 2024's money) in financial aid to the families of victims.http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/44_folder/44_articles/44_lukoil.html Lukoil's presence in Baku Azerbaijan International Winter 1996 (4.4) 25 October 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20130523224614/http://azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/44_folder/44_articles/44_lukoil.html 23 May 2013 live Investigation The government inquiry commission concluded that the fire was caused by an electrical fault. The fire started in the traction motor of one railway car. No explosives were found.Edward Mickolus, Susan L. Simmons. Terrorism, 1992–1995: a chronology of events and a selectively annotated bibliography, ABC-CLIO, 1997, p. 880 The commission's chairman, Deputy Prime Minister Abbas Abbasov, mentioned "outdated Soviet" equipment. Yet two mysterious large holes on the side of one of the wrecked carriages were reportedly found and Azeri national TV quoted experts as saying the holes indicated the use of an explosive device. President Heydar Aliyev told a U.S. official that while preliminary information indicated a technical fault, the fire was "possibly an organised act of sabotage". The Supreme Court of Azerbaijan convicted two persons for criminal negligence. The metro operator was sentenced to 15 years in prison and the station traffic controller 10 years.http://parovoz.com/library/ria.08.02.96.html Azerbaijani Court Convicts Two in Metro Fire RIA Novosti 8 February 1996 4 April 2010 16 November 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20201116044618/https://parovoz.com/library/ria.08.02.96.html dead See also List of transportation fires 1994 Baku Metro bombings Daegu subway fire References External links "Baku's Metro Accident: A Challenge to Strategize", Azerbaijan International Further reading Wahlstrom, B. The Baku underground railway/metro fire. Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Tunnel Incident Management, Korsor, Denmark, 13–15 May 1996 Azerbaijan 1990s Category:Train and rapid transit fires in Asia Category:1995 in Azerbaijan Category:20th century in Baku Category:1990s fires in Asia Category:1995 fires Category:Railway accidents in 1995 Category:Railway accidents and incidents in Azerbaijan Category:Fires in Azerbaijan Category:Transport in Baku Category:October 1995 in Asia Category:1995 disasters in Azerbaijan