§ 46. Mr. David MarshallTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people have been(a) killed and (b) injured in major transport disasters in (i) 1986, (ii) 1987, and (iii) 1988.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThere is no clear definition of what constitutes a major transport disaster. To attempt to classify a transport accident as a disaster by the number of deaths involved is an invidious exercise: each fatality is a disaster in its own right. The following accidents are those which have either occurred within Great Britain, or have happened to United Kingdom registered aircraft or United Kingdom registerea ships. They are accidents which have attracted particular attention by their severity.
91W1986
- 9 killed, 35 injured in a rail crash on a level crossing at Lockington.
- 45 killed when Chinook helicopter went down in the north sea.
- 1 killed, 15 injured in crash of twin Otter aircraft in Scotland.
1987
- 189 killed, 340 injured when the roll-on roll-off ferry `Herald of Free Enterprise' overturned off Zeebrugge.
- 4 killed when a train ran off the rails after a bridge was washed away at Glanrhyd in Wales.
- 31 killed, 29 injured in a fire at Kings Cross underground station.
1988
- 34 killed in a railway accident at Clapham junction.
- 270 killed in Pan-Am air crash at Lockerbie. Of these,
- 244 were passengers, 15 were crew, and 11 were on the ground.
Road accidents occur much more frequently, though they do not usually lead to such major loss of life in a single accident.
In 1986, there were 248,000 accidents on public roads in Great Britain, leading to 5,382 deaths and 316,069 injuries. There were 18 accidents in each of which four or more people were killed.
In 1987, 239,000 accidents led to 5,125 deaths and 306,350 injuries. In 17 of these accidents four or more people were killed. Complete figures for 1988 will not be available before the middle of 1989.