Memory of the train accident of Langenweddingen: 94 dead, 44 children!

Memory of the train accident of Langenweddingen: 94 dead, 44 children!

Langenweddingen, Deutschland - On July 6, 1967, a tragedy happened in the GDR that still throws its shadows. The railway accident of Langenweddingen, which is the serious train accident in the history of the GDR, demanded 94 human lives, including 44 students who were on the way to a holiday camp. On this fateful morning, the man's train 852 of the German Reichsbahn from Magdeburg to Thale was on the road when the disaster occurred at the level crossing.

The accident site was a strained level crossing at Fernverkehrstraße 81, about eleven kilometers southwest of Magdeburg. A newly installed barrier system that had caught in hanging telephone cables prevented the proper closure of the barriers. While the dispatcher tried to reduce the barriers, they remained open due to the tangling. A truck and a tanker with 15,000 liters of petrol approached the track system at the same time when the train raced into the tank truck at about 85 km/h. The following explosion was devastating.

The consequences of the tragedy

The disaster demanded 77 death saps at the scene of the accident, while 17 other people later succumbed to their injuries. Particularly tragic: 44 of the dead children, including siblings, not only found an early death, but many of them could not be identified and are now in a shared grave in the West Cemetery in Magdeburg. At the funeral service on July 11, 1967, even the ruling mayor of West Berlin spoke words of compassion, while Pope Paul VI. a condolence telegram sent.

Responsibility for the accident not only hit the Reichsbahn, but also the GDR post. Investigations have shown that there have been problems with the barrier for several days. The two arrested Reichsbahn employees were sentenced to five years in prison for negligent killing, and in response to the tragedy, new regulations for the transport of dangerous goods came into force on March 1, 1968. These included longer locking times for rail barriers and improved control of the barrier operation.

a memorial for the future

Railway accidents with personal injury are also a serious topic today. According to a publication of the Federal Statistical Office, numerous such incidents were recorded in Germany between 2009 and 2022. The numbers are overwhelming and show that despite all the technical advances, a look into the past is constantly necessary to draw teaching and prevent such tragedies. Statista has prepared current data.

Today, on July 9, 2025, Germany is reminiscent of the victims of this terrible catastrophe with lowered flags and commemorative events. The accident remains anchored in the collective memory and warns us all to continue to demand vigilance and responsibility for safety in traffic. Welt and and [Wikipedia] (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/eisenbahn accident_von_langenweddingen) report in detail about the events and their consequences.