Train derails in India killing about 20 people and injuring scores more

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A train has come off the tracks in northern India killing about 20 people and injuring scores more, as carriages slammed into each other.

Rescuers and local people worked into the night searching for survivors in the overturned and mangled carriages, some piled on top of each other.

The death toll in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh was expected to rise, officials said.

At least eight carriages derailed in the crash close to Muzaffarnagar, about 130 kilometres north of the capital New Delhi, as the train travelled towards the Hindu holy city of Haridwar, police said.

Train crashes are frequent in India, which has the world's fourth-largest rail network.

Poor investment in past decades in the vast network and rising demand means overcrowded trains are running on creaking infrastructure.

Saturday's accident is at least the fourth major passenger train derailment this year and the third in Uttar Pradesh in 2017.

A crash in November in Uttar Pradesh killed 150 people.

A senior police officer in the state, Anand Kumar, said close to 20 people had been killed and more than 80 injured.

The national authorities sent disaster teams to help.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a message on Twitter saying he was pained by the derailment of the Utkal Express, offering condolences to families of those killed and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.

Reuters

Topics: disasters-and-accidents, rail, india</s>NEW DELHI/MUMBAI (Reuters) - A train came off the tracks in northern India on Saturday, killing about 20 people and injuring scores more, as carriages slammed into each other, officials said.

Rescuers and local people worked into the night searching for survivors in the overturned and mangled carriages, some piled on top of each other. The death toll was expected to rise, officials said.

At least eight carriages derailed in the crash close to Muzaffarnagar, in Uttar Pradesh state, about 130 km (80 miles) north of the capital New Delhi, as the train travelled towards the Hindu holy city of Haridwar, police said.

Train crashes are frequent in India, which has the world’s fourth biggest rail network. Poor investment in past decades in the vast network and rising demand means overcrowded trains are running on creaking infrastructure.

Saturday’s accident is at least the fourth major passenger train derailment this year and the third in Uttar Pradesh in 2017. A crash in November in Uttar Pradesh killed 150 people.

A senior police officer in the state, Anand Kumar, said close to 20 people had been killed and more than 80 injured.

Sanjeev Balyan, a Muzaffarnagar lawmaker, had earlier told Reuters that at least 14 people had been killed.

“We are struggling to pull out injured, and are waiting for gas cutters to arrive. It’s too dark to launch a full fledged search operation, but our teams are trying their best,” said Ajay Pandey, a senior police officer at the site.

The national authorities sent disaster teams to help.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a message on Twitter saying he was pained by the derailment of the Utkal Express, offering condolences to families of those killed and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.

In June, Reuters reported that a planned $15 billion safety overhaul of India’s rail network was facing delays as the state steel company could not meet demand for new rails.

Slideshow (2 Images)

The network is in the middle of a $130 billion, five-year modernisation. The government launched the additional safety overhaul programme in February to tackle a surge in train accidents in the past two years blamed on defective tracks.

A senior official in the Uttar Pradesh government, Arvind Kumar, told the Hindustan Times the train driver had slammed the brakes on after spotting maintenance work on the tracks that was not properly signalled, the newspaper reported.

Anil Saxena, a spokesman for the railways, said it was too early to speculate about the causes of Saturday’s crash.</s>PM Modi sends condolences as at 23 killed and scores injured after train connecting Haridwar and Puri comes off tracks.

At least 23 passengers were killed and 64 others injured after an express train derailed in north India, officials said, as rescuers attempted to free people trapped in the wreckage.

The accident took place near Khatauli in the state of Uttar Pradesh, about 100km northeast of the national capital, New Delhi.

"Twenty-three people have died and 64 others are injured in the accident. Rescue and relief operations are continuing," G S Priyadarshi, a civil official at the accident site, told AFP.

The injured were taken to a hospital, where doctors described their condition as stable.

READ MORE: Dozens killed after train derails in southern India

Cranes lifted derailed coaches and gas cutters were used to reach people feared to be trapped, the IANS news agency reported.

Railway police and local volunteers were seen trying to help passengers out of the upturned coaches of the Kalinga-Utkal Express, which connects the Hindu holy city of Haridwar with the temple town of Puri, in the eastern state of Orissa.

The cause of the derailment was not immediately known, Sharma said.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu ordered an inquiry into the train derailment.

"Strict action will be taken against any lapse," he tweeted. "I am personally monitoring the situation. Have instructed senior officers to reach the site immediately and ensure speedy rescue and relief operations."

The minister has announced a compensation of $5,500 for the kin of deceased passengers.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter he was pained by the accident, offered condolences to families of those killed, and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

Train accidents are common in India, where more than 22 million passengers use the rail system daily.

Saturday's accident is at least the fourth major passenger train derailment this year and the third in Uttar Pradesh in 2017.

Over 250 people were killed across the country in train accidents in 2015 and 2016.

In June, Reuters reported that a planned $15bn safety overhaul of India's rail network faced delays as the state steel company could not meet demand for new rails.

The network is in the middle of a $130bn, five-year modernisation.

The government launched the additional safety overhaul programme in February to tackle a surge in train accidents in the past two years blamed on defective tracks.</s>At least 20 people have been killed and scores more injured after a train came off the tracks in India on Saturday.

Rescuers and local people in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh worked into the night searching for survivors in the overturned and mangled carriages. Officials have said they expect the death toll to rise.

At least eight carriages derailed at roughly 5.46pm local time, about 80 miles (130km) north of the capital New Delhi, as the train travelled towards the Hindu holy city of Haridwar, police said.

Train crashes are frequent in India, which has the world’s fourth biggest rail network. Poor investment in the vast network and rising demand has left overcrowded trains running on creaking infrastructure.

Saturday’s accident is at least the fourth major passenger train derailment this year and the third in Uttar Pradesh in 2017. A crash in the region in November killed 150 people.

A senior police officer in the state, Anand Kumar, said 20 people had been killed and more than 80 injured.

Sanjeev Balyan, a lawmaker from Muzaffarnagar, the city nearest to the crash, had earlier told Reuters that at least 14 people had been killed.

Ajay Pandey, a senior police officer at the site, said: “We are struggling to pull out injured, and are waiting for gas cutters to arrive. It’s too dark to launch a full fledged search operation, but our teams are trying their best.”

The national authorities have dispatched disaster teams to help.

India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, sent a message on Twitter saying he was pained by the derailment of the Utkal Express, offering condolences to families of those killed and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.

The network is in the middle of a $130bn, five-year modernisation. The government launched the additional safety overhaul programme in February after a surge in train accidents in the past two years was blamed on defective tracks.

A senior official in the Uttar Pradesh government, Arvind Kumar, told the Hindustan Times the train driver had slammed the brakes on after spotting maintenance work on the tracks that was not properly signalled.

Anil Saxena, a spokesman for the railways, said it was too early to speculate about any potential cause of Saturday’s crash.</s>LUCKNOW, India — Six coaches of a passenger train derailed in northern India on Saturday, killing 23 people and injuring at least 81, officials said.

Two of the coaches telescoped into each other, while four others toppled over after going off the track, said Arvind Kumar, a top official in Uttar Pradesh, the state where the derailment occurred.

Neeraj Sharma, a railway spokesman, said the incident took place near the small town of Khatauli.

The cause of the derailment was not immediately known, Sharma said.

Railway police and local volunteers helped pull passengers out of the upturned coaches of the Kalinga-Utkal Express, which connects the Hindu holy city of Haridwar with the temple town of Puri, in the eastern state of Orissa.

The injured were taken to a hospital, where doctors described their condition as stable.</s>LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Rescuers using cutting torchers and cranes worked through the night to pull apart 14 coaches of a crowded train that went off the tracks in northern India, killing 23 people and injuring more than 80 others, officials said Sunday.

Two of the coaches piled on top of one another, while 12 others toppled off the tracks, said Arvind Kumar, a top official in Uttar Pradesh state, where the train derailed overnight.

Railway police and local volunteers helped pull passengers out of the upturned coaches of the Kalinga-Utkal Express, which was travelling to the Hindu holy city of Haridwar from the temple town of Puri, in the eastern state of Orissa.

As the day dawned, at least one official accused the railways of negligence, saying cracks in the track had been seen a day before and no train should have been allowed on the damaged line.

“We had spotted a break in the rail track on Friday and all day workers were at the site repairing the track,” said Rajendra Kumar, the station master at Khatauli, a small town where the accident took place.

Kumar said that some trains, moving very slowly, had passed earlier Saturday, which is why the Kalinga-Utkal Express too was allowed to move on the track.

“This train driver too had been cautioned to move very slowly. The engine and first four coaches stayed upright, while the next 14 coaches derailed,” Kumar said.

Federal Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu ordered an investigation, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences to the victims’ families and pledged monetary and other help.

Accidents are relatively common on India’s massive but poorly maintained railway network. Safety standards on the state-run system, which operates 9,000 passenger trains and carries some 23 million passengers every day, has been an ongoing concern amid a spate of accidents.</s>At least 23 people were killed and 81 others injured when a passenger train derailed in India on Saturday.

Six coaches of the train came off the tracks in the northern Uttar Pradesh state, near the town of Khatuli.

State official Arvind Kumar said two of the coaches had telescoped into one another, while four others toppled onto their sides.</s>Six coaches of a passenger train derailed in northern India on Saturday, killing 23 people and leaving at least 81 others wounded, officials said.

Two of the coaches telescoped into each other, while four others toppled over after going off the track, said Arvind Kumar, a top official in Uttar Pradesh, the state where the derailment occurred.

Neeraj Sharma, a railway spokesman, said the incident took place near the small town of Khatauli.

The cause of the derailment was not immediately known, Sharma said.

Railway police and local volunteers helped pull passengers out of the upturned coaches of the Kalinga-Utkal Express, which connects the Hindu holy city of Haridwar with the temple town of Puri, in the eastern state of Orissa.

“We are struggling to pull out injured, and are waiting for gas cutters to arrive. It’s too dark to launch a full-fledged search operation, but our teams are trying their best,” senior police officer Ajay Pandey told Reuters news agency.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter that he was pained by the derailment and offered condolences to families of the victims.

Reuters reported in June, citing two government documents, that a planned $15 billion safety overhaul of India’s ageing rail network faced delays as the state steel company was unable to meet demands for new rails.

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Also, Like us on facebook</s>LUCKNOW, India -- Six coaches of a passenger train derailed in northern India on Saturday, killing 23 people and leaving at least 81 others wounded, officials said.

Two of the coaches telescoped into each other, while four others toppled over after going off the track, said Arvind Kumar, a top official in Uttar Pradesh, the state where the derailment occurred.

Neeraj Sharma, a railway spokesman, said the incident took place near the small town of Khatauli.

The cause of the derailment was not immediately known, Sharma said.

Railway police and local volunteers helped pull passengers out of the upturned coaches of the Kalinga-Utkal Express, which connects the Hindu holy city of Haridwar with the temple town of Puri, in the eastern state of Orissa.

"We are struggling to pull out injured, and are waiting for gas cutters to arrive. It's too dark to launch a full-fledged search operation, but our teams are trying their best," senior police officer Ajay Pandey told Reuters news agency.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter that he was pained by the derailment and offered condolences to families of the victims.

Reuters reported in June, citing two government documents, that a planned $15 billion safety overhaul of India's ageing rail network faced delays as the state steel company was unable to meet demands for new rails.</s>At least 23 people were killed and 81 others injured when a passenger train derailed in India on Saturday.

Six coaches of the train came off the tracks in the northern Uttar Pradesh state, near the town of Khatuli.

State official Arvind Kumar said two of the coaches had telescoped into one another, while four others toppled onto their sides.

The train was the Kalinga-Utkal Express, which connects the Hindu holy city of Haridwar with the temple town of Puri, in the eastern state of Orissa.

Local volunteers joined railway police in pulling passengers free from the wreckage, with some forced to break windows to reach those trapped inside.

Pictures from the scene showed how parts of the carriages had ripped away.

What caused the train to come off the tracks is not yet known.
A train derails near Khatauli, Uttar Pradesh, India, resulting in at least 23 deaths and 156 injuries.