The tangiwai disaster

The Tangiwai disaster in New Zealand happened on the night of December 24, 1953, when a train fell into the river after a section of the railway bridge had been swept away by a massive avalanche from the steep slopes of the volcanic Mt. Ruapehu. Ruapehu had 3 lakes, and it was known that avalanches, or Lahars, as they are called (Maori ?) occurred from time to time. I don't know if this is caused by volcanic activity or just heavy rain. The incident was very traumatic for the local people as part of the train landed on the mountainside and passengers suffered horrific injuries. Many bodies were covered by the avalanche of mud, and bodies were found on the mountainside for some time after the accident, leading to routine police murder enquiries which for the locals just stirred up unpleasant memories..