The Turenki rail accident occurred on 12 March 1940, at 05:28 local time (03:28 UTC) near Turenki, Finland, and remains the worst rail accident in Finnish history.
[1] The death toll was particularly high due to many troop carriages being crushed; the carriages had initially been located at the rear of the train but were moved to the front just behind the locomotive at Toijala as the train changed direction.
[3] The accident was caused by a signalling error; the signaller, who was still on probation and who had been awake for the past 36 hours, mistakenly cleared the freight train to pass Turenki north towards the Harviala railway station, even though the troop train had already passed the latter station which had been chosen as the place the two trains would pass each other.
[3] The accident went largely unreported, as the accident happened during World War II and on the same day that the Moscow Peace Treaty which ended the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union was signed and went into effect.
[1] A memorial to those who lost their lives in the crash was unveiled at Turenki railway station in 2000.