1965 Durban rail accident

1965 South African train disaster March 2024 1965 Durban rail disaster 4 October 1965 Affingham Road, around 16 kilometres from Durban, South Africa South Africa South African Railways 1 c. 1500 at least 2 87 black passengers lynched white signalman 130-200 During the aftermath protest (against apartheid) emerged On 4 October 1965, during the Apartheid in South Africa, a passenger train of the South African Railways with up to 1500 black commuters onboard derailed, killing 87 of them. As ‘revenge’ the passengers lynched a signalman and beat up another railwayman. Thousands of local black people came together in a protest march towards the disaster scene. It was estimated 100,000 attended the funeral of the 87 black workers. It was the deadliest railway accident in South Africa. Background The disaster occurred in South Africa, during the Apartheid system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa where black people were suppressed. It was generally known that transportation of black African on trains was poor. They were transported in old wooden trains with far too many people per car.https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010373043:mpeg21:a0034 Zuid-Afrika 84 doden bij treinongeluk De Waarheid 5 October 1965 nl Delpher The accident On 4 October 1965 a crowded passenger train with 11 jam-packed coaches of the South African Railways 5:28 with 1200-1500 black commuters on board were transported from port city Effington via the Durban station back to their township KwaMashu, South Africa.https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=KBPERS01:002807029:mpeg21:a00014 Treinramp in Durban: 150 doden Algemeen Dagblad 5 October 1965 nl Delpher At Affingham Road, around 16 kilometres from Durban, the last three wagons derailed and overturned.https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ABCDDD:010815409:mpeg21:a0006 Treinramp in Zuid-Afrika Trouw 5 October 1965 nl Delpher Both the conductor and driver stated that they heard a grinding sound and the train overturned. An eyewitness stated he saw “the electric unit at the tail end topple over. With it came the train's last passenger compartment, bouncing like a toy over the jagged fill of the roadbed”. During the next 1.5 minutes three more coaches jumped one-by-one off the track. Aftermath Rescue operation and victims Victims were scattered over 300 meters along the railway line. Another hundreds of passengers were trapped between the debris. Police, nurses, doctors and first-aiders were called over the radio to go to the disaster site. Over forty ambulances were involved in the rescue operation and brought the injured people to Durban.https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010526434:mpeg21:a0004 Treinramp in Z.-Afrika: 150 doden Limburgsch Dagblad 5 October 1965 nl Delpher Rescue teams searched for survivors. 81 passengers were directly killed, while some sources wrongly stating 150 casualties.https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMCC01:048117004:mpeg21:a00011 Treinramp in Zuid-Afrika; 150 doden De Nieuwe Limburger 5 October 1965 nl Delpherhttps://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ABCDDD:010815410:mpeg21:a0185 Ruim 80 doden bij treinramp in Z.-Afrika Trouw 6 October 1965 nl Delpher The death toll rose to 84 and days later to 87https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010690058:mpeg21:a0168 Het aantal Friese Koerier 9 October 1965 nl Delpher passengers after injured people died in hospital. There were 130-200 injured passengers.https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010569356:mpeg21:a0025 Het aantal slachtoffers van de treinramp Gereformeerd gezinsblad 8 October 1965 nl Delpherhttps://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=KBNRC01:000034633:mpeg21:a0012 Grote spoorramp in Zuid-Afrika Algemeen Handelsblad 5 October 1965 nl Delpherhttps://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010955573:mpeg21:a0272 Treinramp in Zuid-Afrika; al 84 doden Het Vrije Volk 5 October 1965 nl Delpher The disaster was at the time the deadliest rail disaster of South Africa. Lynching and protest One of the survivors shouted after the accident “It's the Europeans who planned this murder of our brothers”. The white 25-years old signalman Walter Wilfred “Wally” Hartslief ran from the nearby train station to the disaster scene to help. When he arrived at the scene, minutes after the disaster, an angry crowd of around 100 people held him accountable for the disaster and lynched him.https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,834495,00.html South Africa: The Wreck of the 5:28 Time 15 October 1965 enhttps://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010869839:mpeg21:a0014 Treinongeluk in Zuid-Afrika kost 80 levens Nieuwsblad van het Noorden 5 October 1965 nl Delpherhttps://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010617259:mpeg21:a0001 Wisselwachter vermoord Bij spoorwegramp in Zuid-Afrika ruim 80 doden Leeuwarder Courant 5 October 1965 nl Delpherhttps://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:011197525:mpeg21:a0305 Gelyncht na de treinramp De Telegraaf 6 October 1965 nl Delpher Another railwayman was also beaten up. He was seriously injured, was hospitalized but survived.https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010955577:mpeg21:a0198 Begrafenis van 87 rampslachtoffers Het Vrije Volk 9 October 1965 nl Delpher Walter Wilfred Hartslief was 25 years old and was married.https://www.graves-at-eggsa.org/main.php?g2_itemId=4544224&g2_imageViewsIndex=1 Grave stone image of Walter Wilfred Hartslief graves-at-eggsa.org 25 March 2024 en 2000 black Africans gathered for a protest march to the disaster scene. Because of that the Durban police sent additional reinforcements.https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMHCO02:163834005:mpeg21:a00005 Treinramp kost 't leven aan 83 negerarbeiders Woedende menigte naar plaats van ongeluk Twentsch dagblad Tubantia 5 October 1965 nl Delpher Court case In August 1966 the Durban court convicted three people for the murder on Hartslief. The president considered it proven that the three were part of the group of approximately 100 people who had attacked Harslief, under the assumption that he was the driver of the train. Four were acquitted due to lack of evidence.https://leiden.courant.nu/issue/LD/1966-08-12/edition/0/page/2 Bantoes veroordeeld Leidsch Dagblad 12 August 1966 2 nl leiden.courant.nu Funeral On 9 October 1965 the 87 black victims were buried at KwaMashu. The number of people at the funeral was expected by the authorities of Natal to be 100,000. After the lynching and protest march, the police of Durban was present to avoid disturbances.https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010373047:mpeg21:a0052 Begrafenis slachtoffers treinramp Durban De Waarheid 9 October 1965 nl Delpher Hartslief was also buried. His grave stone is still visible. See also Durban riots 1973 Durban strikes References Category:Derailments in South Africa Category:20th-century disasters in South Africa Category:Railway accidents in 1965 Category:1965 in South Africa Category:1960s disasters in South Africa Category:October 1965 Category:Transport in KwaZulu-Natal Category:History of Durban Category:Opposition to apartheid in South Africa Category:1965 protests