Photos show the resurfaced remains of World War II’s ‘Death Railway’ in Thailand
KANCHANABURI, Thailand (AP) — A sunken station after remaining below the surface for decades The famous “Railroad of Death” of World War II It resurfaced in Thailand.
Maintenance at the Vajiralongkorn Dam drained the hydroelectric facility’s reservoir, revealing Nithe Station for the first time in over 40 years.
Researchers are racing to investigate the site, which was then a huge warehouse along the 415-kilometer (257-mile) historic route connecting Siam and Burma, modern-day Thailand and Myanmar.
But it’s a race against time, as maintenance on the dam is due to be completed in August and Southeast Asia’s rainy season has recently flooded the region again.
During World War II, approximately 60,000 Allied prisoners of war and hundreds of thousands of Asian workers were forced by Imperial Japan to build the railway.
More than 12,500 prisoners of war and 75,000 workers died during construction, inspiring the nickname “Death Railway”.
Researcher Andrew Snow said: “We are dealing with a large number of relatives of POWs. Some of these POWs were working in the area we mentioned, in Nithe, and this is a good opportunity for us to do some research… so we can show relatives in the future.” Thailand-Burma Railway HubHis father was captured in Singapore in 1942 and forced to work on the railway.
Independent researcher Martyn Fryer, who has visited Nithe three times, flew from Australia to see the completely reemerged site. His grandfather died as a prisoner of war building the railway, and he said he wanted to see “what infrastructure lies under the water” for him.
Parts of the historic railway are still active, transporting locals and attracting thousands of tourists.
Educational areas, such as the Hellfire Pass Interpretive Center, are also designed to keep the history of the railroad alive.
German tourist Michael Weber at Thamkra Sae Station said traveling offers the chance to learn about the people and culture of the destination. “And part of the culture is always history.”
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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
