MARCH 20, 2015
LUCKNOW, INDIA
Three coaches of a passenger train derailed in northern
India on Friday, killing 31 people, and rescuers were using gas cutters to rip
apart the mangled wreckage to search for trapped people. At least 50 were
injured.
Rescue workers pulled 31 bodies from the wreckage, said
Ashwini Srivastava, a spokesman for the railways.
The engine and two coaches of the Janata Express jumped off
the tracks near Bachhrawan village in Uttar Pradesh state.
Several people were feared trapped in the wreckage, and
rescue efforts were focused on bringing them out alive, said Ram Murath Yadav,
a police official at the site of the accident.
One of the derailed coaches was crushed by the impact and
most of the casualties were in that coach, he said.
The cause of the derailment was not immediately known. The
federal rail ministry has ordered an inquiry.
The driver of the train escaped unhurt and was being
questioned, Srivastava said.
Train accidents are common in India. The country's railroad
network is one of the world's largest and carries more than 23 million
passengers each day. Most accidents are blamed on poor inspection or maintenance
of the trucks, track failure, and/or human error. Most other industrial and non-industrial
accidents (other than weather-related catastrophes) are caused by human error
and lack of maintenance, as well.
Source: www.cbsnes.com
Here are some photos from prior train derailments in India. Too many of them.
