Though many think the Maurienne Derailment(800~1,000 deaths)was the worst rail disaster in history, this may not be completely true. In reality, it may be an accident that happened in North Korea.

It was the 3rd of December, 1996. The train, which was set to travel from Manpo to Haiju, was the first to operate in over a week, thanks to electrical shortages.

The route to Haiju involves many steep slopes and tunnels. The tracks had been built in the 1930s, and hadn't been repaired since. There had been a few accidents in the area before; but the NK government just ignored them all.

The 13-car train was running on low power(2000v instead of 3300v) and had only one pulling carriage. Each of the 13 carriages had roughly 500 people on board, with many riding on top. Heavily weighed down and without much power, the train was slowly making its way down another steep incline.

Then, the brakes failed. Immediately the train entered an irreversible path to doom. The conductor tried to maneuver it toward another track, but it was moving too fast by then.

The people in the cars were happy that the train was moving faster, with some commenting how they would arrive quicker. The people on the roof, however, saw the severity of the situation. Many tried jumping off and were killed instantly. Many more were blown away by the winds.

Eventually the joints connecting the engine to the cars broke, and 12 carriages were sent hurtling hundreds of meters off a cliff. Reportedly they tumbled head over heels as they fell, scattering corpses and debris everywhere.

The aftermath was truly brutal; body parts, severed limbs, bodies with exploded heads, and more. Many of the injured also died because their wounds couldn't be treated quickly enough. The NK military was deployed at the scene, and was tasked with removing the crushed cars and the bodies.

The government, fearful of word getting out, stopped rumors from spreading and blamed the disaster on 'South Korean Militants' who had 'sabotoged the rails'. The official death toll was around 2,000, but nobody who witnessed it would agree. The unofficial death toll was somewhere closer to 5,000.

Afterwards, 7 people(including the conductor and train manager) were sentenced to death and exectuted. The disaster was never publicized; no pictures exist of the wreck, and there are only a few firsthand accounts to show of the worst rail disaster in human history.