Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne derailment

Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne train derailment
Wreckage of the French military train, December 13, 1917
Details
Date	December 12, 1917
Location	Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne
Country	France
Line	Maurienne valley rail line, Culoz–Modane railway
Operator	French military
Cause	Very steep slope of the railway line, insufficient braking power, overloaded coaches.
Statistics
Trains	1
Passengers	982
Deaths	675

The Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne derailment of December 12, 1917 was a railway accident involving a troop train carrying at least 1,000 French soldiers on their way home for leave from the Italian front in World War I. A derailment as the train descended the Maurienne valley on the Culoz–Modane railway caused a catastrophic crash and subsequent fire in which more than 675 died.^[1] It is still France's deadliest rail accident to date.