The mayor and city council of the town of Pont-à-Celles, Hainaut, marked the 50th anniversary of the Luttre Bridge rail disaster with a ceremony on Thursday morning.
A plaque was unveiled to honour the memory of the 18 people who perished in the terrible accident, which took place on 15 August 1974.
The Luttre Bridge rail mishap is one of Belgium’s worst train disasters. That day, shortly after 7 p.m., a carriage on a train travelling from Charleroi to Brussels derailed at the bridge over the Charleroi-Brussels canal. The following carriage struck the bridge’s structure and plummeted onto the towpath below.
In addition to the 18 victims, more than 70 people were injured in the disaster.
Victim’s families participated in Thursday’s commemoration. They were particularly keen for a commemorative plaque to be installed at the site of the tragedy, something that had not been done until now.
Some members of the police force who responded to the incident 50 years ago were also present on Thursday, as were locals who still vividly remember the calamity.
The exact cause of the derailment remains unclear, according to victims’ families. At the time, the likely cause cited was extreme heat warping the infrastructure.
There was never a trial associated with the incident.
