By: HISTORY.com Editors

1981

Train derails in India, killing hundreds

Published: November 13, 2009Last Updated: May 27, 2025

More than 500 passengers are killed when their train plunges into the Bagmati River in India on June 6, 1981. The rail accident—the worst in India to that date—was believed to have been caused when an engineer tried to avoid striking a cow.

The nine-car train, filled with approximately 1,000 passengers, was traveling through the northeastern state of Bihar about 250 miles from Calcutta. Outside, monsoon-like conditions were battering the region. Extremely hard rains were swelling the rivers and making the tracks slick.

As the train approached the bridge over the Bagmati River, a cow crossed the tracks. Possibly seeking to avoid harming the cow, the engineer braked too hard. The cars slid on the wet rails and the last seven cars derailed straight into the river. With the river far above normal levels, the cars sank quickly in the murky waters.

Rescue help was hours away and, by the time it arrived, nearly 600 people had lost their lives. After a multi-day search, 286 bodies were recovered but more than 300 missing people were never found. The best estimate is that close to 600 passengers were killed by the engineer’s decision. Cows are considered sacred animals, according to the Hindu religion.

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on June 6th

1833

President Jackson rides the Iron Horse

In Ellicott’s Mills, Maryland, President Andrew Jackson boards a Baltimore & Ohio Railroad train for a pleasure trip to Baltimore. Jackson, who had never been on a train before, was the first president to take a ride on the “Iron Horse,” as locomotives were known then. The steam locomotive was first pioneered in England at […]

1:10m read

1856

Sitting president Franklin Pierce denied his party’s nomination for reelection

On June 6, 1856, the fifth and final day of the Democratic Party’s national convention in Cincinnati, Ohio, President Franklin Pierce becomes the first elected president of the United States not to be nominated by his party for a second term. Instead, the party chooses James Buchanan, who will go on to win the presidency […]

1:40m read

1865

Outlaw William Quantrill dies in military prison after being shot by Union soldiers

William Quantrill, the man who gave Frank and Jesse James their first education in killing, dies from wounds sustained in a skirmish with Union soldiers in Kentucky. Born and raised in Ohio, Quantrill was involved in a number of shady enterprises in Utah and Kansas during his teens. In his early 20s, he fled to […]

1889

The Great Seattle Fire

On June 6, 1889, a fire ignites in a Seattle woodworking shop and sweeps through some 100 acres, destroying much of the city’s business district and waterfront. The Great Seattle Fire culminates in losses estimated at $20 million—and serves as a turning point in the city’s history. The fire started shortly after 2:30 p.m. when […]

1:52m read

1918

Battle of Belleau Wood begins

The first large-scale battle fought by American soldiers in World War I begins in Belleau Wood, northwest of the Paris-to-Metz road. In late May 1918, the third German offensive of the year penetrated the Western Front to within 45 miles of Paris. U.S. forces under General John J. Pershing helped halt the German advance, and […]

1933

First drive-in movie theater opens

On June 6, 1933, eager motorists park their automobiles on the grounds of Camden Drive-In, the first-ever drive-in movie theater, located on Admiral Wilson Boulevard in Pennsauken, New Jersey. Park-In Theaters–the term “drive-in” came to be widely used only later–was the brainchild of Richard Hollingshead, a movie fan and a sales manager at his father’s company, Whiz Auto Products, in […]

2:22m read

1944

D-Day: Allies storm Normandy’s coast

Codenamed Operation Overlord, D-Day began on June 6, 1944.

3:02m read

1964

U.S. reconnaissance jet shot down over Laos

A U.S. Navy jet flying low-altitude target reconnaissance missions over Laos is shot down by communist Pathet Lao ground fire. Less than 48 hours later, a second jet, which was escorting an unarmed reconnaissance aircraft, is also shot down. Washington immediately ordered armed jets to escort the reconnaissance flights, and by June 9, escort jets […]

0:46m read

1966

Civil rights activist James Meredith shot

James H. Meredith, who in 1962 became the first African American to attend the University of Mississippi, is shot by a sniper shortly after beginning a lone civil rights march through the South. Known as the “March Against Fear,” Meredith had been walking from Memphis, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi, in an attempt to encourage voter […]

1971

“The Ed Sullivan Show” airs for the very last time

Twenty-three years after its 1948 premiere, “The Ed Sullivan Show” has its final broadcast on June 6, 1971. For more than two decades, Sullivan’s variety show was the premiere television showcase for entertainers of all stripes, including borscht-belt comedians, plate-spinning vaudeville throwbacks and, most significantly, some of the biggest and most current names in rock […]

1:52m read

1984

Indian army storms Golden Temple

In a bloody climax to two years of fighting between the Indian government and Sikh separatists, Indian army troops fight their way into the besieged Golden Temple compound in Amritsar–the holiest shrine of Sikhism–and kill at least 500 Sikh rebels. More than 100 Indian soldiers and scores of nonbelligerent Sikhs also perished in the ferocious […]

3:36m read

1997

A teenaged mother gives birth and murders her baby at the prom

Eighteen-year-old Melissa Drexler gives birth to a baby boy in the bathroom stall at an Aberdeen Township banquet hall in New Jersey during her high school prom. Maintenance workers called to clean up blood found in the stall discover a bag in the garbage with her dead baby inside. An autopsy later revealed that the […]

1:18m read

1998

“Sex and the City” premieres on HBO

On June 6, 1998, the cable network HBO airs the pilot episode of “Sex and the City,” a new comedy series chronicling the lives and loves of four women living in New York City. The show’s creator, Darren Star, was best known at the time for producing the long-running Fox TV series Beverly Hills, 90210, […]

2:24m read

Asian History

20 videos

Asian History

What Is Sanskrit?

This ancient language shaped religion, literature and philosophy across South Asia.

Asian History

China’s Overlooked Role in World War II

China was a vital, but often forgotten, member of the Allies battling Japan—two years before the official start of World War II.

Asian History

5 Ways Japanese Culture Took Hold in America: From Sushi to Cinema

From sushi to cinema, Japanese culture has left a lasting mark on the United States.

About the author

HISTORY.com Editors

HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Christian Zapata, Cristiana Lombardo and Adrienne Donica.

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.

Citation Information

Article Title: Train derails in India, killing hundreds
Author: HISTORY.com Editors
Website Name: History
URL: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/june-6/train-avoids-cow-but-kills-600

Date Accessed: October 21, 2026
Publisher: A&E Television Networks
Last Updated: May 27, 2025
Original Published Date: November 13, 2009

Train derails in India, killing hundreds

Related

Asian History

What Is Sanskrit?

China’s Overlooked Role in World War II

5 Ways Japanese Culture Took Hold in America: From Sushi to Cinema

About the author

Fact Check

Citation Information