Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen has proclaimed the first day of September each year the National Day of Remembrance of the Victims and Survivors of the Kendal Rail Disaster.

His proclamation followed a request from Culture Minister Olivia Grange.

On Sunday, September 1, 1957, more than 170 Jamaicans died when their Kingston-bound train ran off the rail at Kendal in Manchester.

More than 700 of the 1,600 passengers were maimed or disfigured in what was described as the worst disaster in Jamaica’s railway history.

Many of the victims and survivors were members of the St. Anne’s Roman Catholic Church.

They had travelled by train for a pilgrimage to Montego Bay, St. James and were returning to Kingston when disaster struck.

Minister Grange said the National Day of Remembrance is not only an opportunity for the nation to remember the victims and survivors.

She said it is also a moment to recall and salute the bravery, sacrifice and commitment of people in nearby communities, as well as volunteers and professional responders who demonstrated the humane solidarity of the Jamaican people by providing comfort, solace and compassion.