RAILWAY BRIDGE COLLAPSES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1295, 25 November 1911, Page 5

RAILWAY BRIDGE COLLAPSES.

TRAIN FALLS INTO RIVER. Bj Telegraph—Prcs3 Association—CopyrielU Paris, November 23. While a train was crossing a river the whole of the carriages except three were engulfed in the violent torrent. Ten passengers are refuging on top of a carriage. Desperate attempts at rescue have been made, and continue. . Later. Flood waters weakened the buttresses of a railway bridge, which collapsed, at Saumnr. Tho train fell into the river. It is reported that sisty to eighty persons were drowned, including tho driver and fireman. FURTHER GRAPHIC DETAILS. (Rec. November 24, 11.45 p.m.) Paris, November 24. The bridge at Saumur collapsed while the train was crossing. Of fifty persons in the train, 22 were drowned, including seven railway officials. The crowds stood by helplessly watching the survivors' efforts to maintain a precarious hold on the wreckage, tho flood sweeping them away one after another. Meanwhile heroic rescuers made renewed attempts to save. Bouillct, a wine merchant, who perished; his wife was among tho drowned. The train-driver saved himself by holding the tail of a pig which' was swimming ashore. Ultimately the Military Engineers rescued tho half-dead survivors from the roof. A similar accident to the same line occurred last year, when 27 were drowned.