Documentary New Zealand The Truth about Tangiwai
On Christmas Eve 1953 a volcanic eruption caused a massive lahar to flow down Whangaehu River. When the Wellington-Auckland express crossed the rail bridge at Tangiwai minutes later, it collapsed and carriages plunged into the flooded river. 151 people died out of 285, in NZ's worst rail accident. This 2002 documentary examines events and the board of inquiry finding that the accident was an act of God. This excerpt demolishes the story that Cyril Ellis could have warned the train driver what lay ahead, and argues there was a railways department cover-up at the board of inquiry.
Primary Title
- Documentary New Zealand
Secondary Title
- The Truth about Tangiwai
Date Broadcast
- Monday 22 April 2002
Start Time
- 20 : 30
Finish Time
- 21 : 30
Duration
- 60:00
Channel
- TV One
Broadcaster
- Television New Zealand
Programme Description
- On Christmas Eve 1953 a volcanic eruption caused a massive lahar to flow down Whangaehu River. When the Wellington-Auckland express crossed the rail bridge at Tangiwai minutes later, it collapsed and carriages plunged into the flooded river. 151 people died out of 285, in NZ's worst rail accident. This 2002 documentary examines events and the board of inquiry finding that the accident was an act of God. This excerpt demolishes the story that Cyril Ellis could have warned the train driver what lay ahead, and argues there was a railways department cover-up at the board of inquiry.
Classification
- Unknown
Owning Collection
- Chapman Archive
Broadcast Platform
- Television
Languages
- English
Captions
Live Broadcast
- No
Rights Statement
- Made for the University of Auckland's educational use as permitted by the Screenrights Licensing Agreement.
Genres
- Documentary
Hosts
- Susan Wood (Presenter)
- Paul Gittins (Narrator)
Contributors
- Vincent Burke (Co-Producer)
- Anne Gilbert (CO-Producer)
- Irene Gardiner (Network Executive)
- David Sims (Director)
- Top Shelf Productions (Production Unit)
- TVNZ (Production Unit)