At least 96 people have been killed in the Indian province of Uttar Pradesh after 14 carriages of an express train derailed, with a further 150 people reported injured.
It is currently not clear what caused the train to derail. Krishna Keshav, who was on the train, spoke to the BBC:
We woke with a jolt at around 3am. Several coaches were derailed, everybody was in shock. I saw several bodies and injured people.
Most of the victims were located in the two carriages closest to the train’s engine, both of which were badly damaged after overturning. Rescuers are currently using heavy machinery to cut into the derailed carriages to find survivors.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted a statement about the incident:
Anguished beyond words on the loss of lives due to the derailing of the Patna-Indore express. My thoughts are with the bereaved families.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 20, 2016
Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu said that the “strictest possible action will be taken against those who could be responsible for accident”.
Rail accidents are not uncommon in India, due to the enormous size of their network – the 4th largest in the world, with 23 million daily commuters – and the ageing technology and infrastructure which powers it.
Source: BBC.
Photo: Twitter.
