Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was extremely saddened by the accident. I urge the state government & Congress… https://t.co/x8REkRzHgv — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) 1539961822000 
 
 CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased in the Amritsar train accident on Friday and said he was rushing to the spot to personally supervise rescue and relief operations.At least 50 people were killed when a crowd of Dussehra revellers that had spilled onto railway tracks while watching burning of Ravana effigy was run over by a train near here, officials said.The chief minister also announced free treatment to all injured in the accident.Sub divisional magistrate, Amritsar I, Rajesh Sharma said 50 bodies have been found and at least 50 injured have been admitted to a government hospital.Officials said the toll may be higher.As the effigy was lit and the fireworks went off, a section of the crowd started retreating towards the tracks where a large number of people were already standing to watch the event, officials said.However, two trains arrived from the opposite direction at the same time giving little opportunity to people to escape, they saidSeveral people were mowed down by one of the trains, they added
– A speeding train ran over a crowd watching fireworks during a religious festival in northern India on Friday evening, killing at least 60 people and injuring dozens more, police said. The train failed to stop after the accident on the outskirts of Amritsar, a city in Punjab state, according to a state lawmaker. Railway police officer Sukhwinder Singh said Saturday morning that the death toll had risen to 60, the AP reports; another 50 people have been injured and hospitalized. The Times of India reports that two trains arrived from the opposite direction on separate tracks at the same time, giving little opportunity for people to escape. The casualties were caused by one of the trains, it quoted officials as saying. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was extremely saddened by the accident. "Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required," Modi said on Twitter. A witness said the train didn't even sound its whistle as it sped past the site, where hundreds were watching the burning of an effigy of demon Ravana during the Hindu festival of Dussehra. As the effigy was lit and the fireworks started, a section of the crowd started retreating toward railroad tracks while observing the event. "Why did authorities allow the fireworks display so close to the railroad track?" he asked. He told television reporters that he lost two brothers. Another witness said the victims didn't realize that a train was coming because the fireworks were too loud. (One woman woke from a bike crash and couldn't speak English.)