Sofia – Kardam train fire

The Sofia – Kardam train fire occurred on 28 February 2008, when the BDZ night train from Sofia to Kardam caught fire at 11:40 pm near the industrial zone of the town of Cherven bryag, Bulgaria. Nine passengers died and at least 10 were injured.[1][2][3]

Sofia - Kardam train fire
Details
Date	28 February 2008 23:40 EST (UTC+02:00)
Location	Cherven bryag, Bulgaria
Country	Bulgaria
Line	Sofia - Varna line
Operator	BDZ
Incident type	Fire
Cause	Under investigation
Statistics
Trains	1
Passengers	150
Deaths	9
Injured	10
Damage	2 coaches burned

The train

The fire took place on the BDZ InterCity night train (No. 2637) that originated in Sofia and was bound for north-eastern town of Kardam. There were more than 60 people in the two coaches hit by the blaze on board the nine-car service.[1] The train was about to travel for 627 km (390 mi) which is the total railway distance between Sofia and Kardam.[4]

Aftermath

The government was initially criticized for not immediately declaring a national day of mourning for the victims. Two days after the crash, President Georgi Parvanov said the government was ready to declare a period of mourning, but only when the circumstances of the crash and the identifies of the victims were known.[5] Several days later, the government declared a national day of mourning for 5 March.[6]

See also

• List of rail accidents (2000–2009)
• Bulgarian State Railways

References

1. "Deadly fire sweeps Bulgaria train". BBC. 29 Feb 2008. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
2. "Damaged Hydrant Impedes Train Flames Battle in Bulgaria". novinite.com. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
3. "Catalyst from Passenger Bag Set Bulgarian Train on Fire - Official". novinite.com. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
4. "Fares info>Route Information>Sofia-Kardam". Bulgarian State Railways. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
5. Bulgaria President: We are Ready to Declare Days of Mourning
6. 5 март е ден на национален траур за жертвите от пожара във влака