Piquet Carneiro train crash

The Piquet Carneiro train crash, occurred on the December 17, 1951 at Piquet Carneiro in the state of Ceará in northeast Brazil and left 53 dead[2] (some sources 'around 100'[3]).

The diesel train had left Crato the previous day, spending the night at Iguatu which it left at 5  a.m. The train derailed due to 'excessive speed'[4] later that morning near Piquet Carneiro station. Many were trapped in the wreckage; the local medical staff were overwhelmed and a shortage of equipment meant that carpenters saws were used to perform amputations without anaesthetic to free them.[3][4]

A monument to the victims of the disaster was erected at the scene of the accident by the local church with the support of the town authorities; it was restored in 2009.[3][5]