19 Aug. 2008
Ten wagons of a cargo train derailed on 08 Aug 19:40 hrs near Mrasor. Six of the wagons tipped over. 150 m of rails were also damaged in the accident. The train was on its way from Klina/Kline to Zrze, carrying various sorts of grain from Hungary.
The MNTF S supported, on demand of the Kosovo Railway Company, the recovery of the wagons from 13-15 Aug while using heavy equipment. Two German 70 ton cranes, a Swiss crane, two German armoured recovery vehicles and a combat engineer vehicle were deployed to the scene. A medical team was also present during the recovery works. Chief of this challenging recovery operation was the Austrian captain Heinrich Lindner of the ManBn Dulje, who has broad experience in organising and managing fire fighting operations. "The greatest difficulty was the cutting-up of some of the wagons before we could begin with the recovery work", Lindner says.
The cooperation with the Kosovo-Railroad Company and the KPS was excellent.
Prior to the recovery works, a civilian company was commissioned to siphon the grain. The railway company removed the crash barriers between road and tracks. Before, KFOR had filled the ditch with gravel to allow the heavy equipment to reach the scene.
What caused the derailment is yet unknown. The street was closed by police for the whole duration of the recovery operation.
All in all, 51 soldiers of the MNTF S and 11 employees of the Kosovo Railway Company were at the scene. The recovery took 40 hrs of work of each soldier to be completed.
