Ufa train disaster

The Ufa train disaster happened on June 4 1989 at 1:15 (local time) near the cities of Ufa and Asha in the Soviet Union on the Trans-Siberian Railway. A liquified petroleum gas explosion killed 575 and wounded over 600, making it the most deadly railway accident in Soviet history, as two trains passing each other threw sparks near (1 km) a leaky pipeline. Both trains were carrying children; one returning from a holiday break on the Black Sea, one taking children there. The explosion was so powerful it blew out windows in Asha, eight miles from the epicenter. [Keller, Bill. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE0DA113FF936A35755C0A96F948260 "500 on 2 Trains Reported Killed By Soviet Gas Pipeline Explosion"] , "The New York Times", June 5, 1989. Accessed November 20, 2007.] The explosion is said to be equal to 10 kilotons of TNT, almost as powerful as the Hiroshima explosion. Three hours before the explosion, engineers noticed a drop in the pressure, but they turned up the pressure back to normal instead of checking for leaks. [ [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,957976-3,00.html Soviet Union Hard Lessons and Unhappy Citizens - TIME ] ]

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