Rescue forces work at a train
accident site near Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, India, Nov. 20, 2016. In one of the
worst railway tragedies in India in recent years, at least 91 people were killed
and more than 150 others injured after an express train derailed in the
northern state of Uttar Pradesh early Sunday morning.
A train travelling between the northeastern city of Patna and the central city
of Indore derailed early on Sunday, killing at least 91 people and injuring
scores more, a railway official said.
The bodies were retrieved
from the mangled coaches that fell on the side after the train derailed around
3.10 am, jolting awake passengers who had settled in for the overnight journey.
Some coaches crumpled when they crashed into others, trapping hundreds of
people inside.
"The death toll has
unfortunately increased and it is 91 now," said Daljit Singh Chawdhary,
additional police director general of Uttar Pradesh state.
It was unclear what
caused the 14-carriage train to derail as it travelled through Uttar Pradesh.
Rajnath Singh, India's
Home Minister said the Patna- Indore Express train had derailed near Kanpur, in
northern India and that the National Disaster Response Force was overseeing the
rescue efforts.
Krishna Keshav, who was
travelling in the train, told 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."
Witnesses spoke of being
woken up by a huge bang and being thrown around.
"We woke up to a
great thud this morning. It was pitch dark and the noise was deafening," a
passenger told reporters as he waited with his family at the accident site.
"I am lucky to be alive and safe. But it was a near death
experience for us."
Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi tweeted: "Anguished beyond words on the loss of lives due to
the derailing of the Patna-Indore express. My thoughts are with the bereaved
families."
Suresh Prabu, India's
railway Minister, said he was "personally monitoring the situation
closely".
India has a poor
record for safety on its rail network which is used by around 23 million people
every day.
The nation suffers
frequent train derailments, sometimes with tragic consequences, including
another train accident in Uttar Pradesh in March last year that killed 39
people and injured 150.
According to an
official report in 2012 around 15,000 people a year die trying to cross the tracks
on the country's sprawling rail network.
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