Eschede Train Disaster

The Eschede train disaster occurred on 3 June 1998, near the village of Eschede in the Celle district of Lower Saxony, Germany, when a high-speed train derailed and crashed into a road bridge. 101 people died and around 100 were injured, making it the deadliest accident in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany and the deadliest high speed train accident worldwide. It was caused by a single fatigue crack in one wheel which, when it finally failed, caused the train to derail at a switch.