Nishapur train disaster
| Nishapur train disaster | |
|---|---|
Khayyam burning after the incident | |
| Details | |
| Date | 18 February 2004 |
| Location | Khayyam |
| Coordinates | 36°05′55″N 58°58′17″E / 36.0987°N 58.9715°E |
| Country | Iran |
| Incident type | Derailment |
| Cause | Runaway rail cars |
| Statistics | |
| Deaths | 295 |
| Injured | 460 |
The Neishapur train disaster was a large explosion in the village of Khayyam near Nishapur in Iran, on 18 February 2004. Nearly 300 people were killed and the entire village was destroyed when runaway train wagons crashed into the community in the middle of the night and exploded, resulting in Iran's deadliest rail disaster. It is still unexplained how the parked train had come loose and was able to travel such a long distance with no driver or guard.