Two Trains Derail In India

Two trains derailed as they were crossing a bridge in India resulting to the death of at least twenty-four people. A senior railway official, A.K. Mittal, said the area where the accident occurred was affected by a flash flood a few minutes before the incident.

The two trains derailed close to the town of Harda. The Kamayani Express derailed first as it cross the bridge on its way to Mumbai. Six coaches and its engine were derailed in the incident. A few minutes after the first derailment, the Janata Express was also derailed, affecting four of its coaches. The Janata Express was headed in the opposite direction when the second incident happened. Two coaches were partially submerged in the Machak River. Prior the incident, another train successfully crossed the bridge before a flash flood damaged the tracks.

Two Trains Derail In India - image credit: rte.ie

In an interview with NDTV, Mittal said the soil shifted due to the flash flood, which resulted to the collapse of the tracks and the culvert. Reports have indicated that at least 300 people were rescued. The number of people who died in the incident may be as high as twenty-eight, according to the Times of India. The Times revealed that the two trains were overfilled with passengers when they derailed, citing local television reports.

Poor maintenance of the railway system of India has resulted to numerous rail accidents in the past. A tweet from Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India indicated that he was praying for the victims after the two trains derailed in the Madhya Pradesh state.

My prayers with the injured. Authorities are doing everything possible on the ground. The situation is being monitored very closely.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 5, 2015

Posted by James Fried on Sunday August 09 2015, 3:56 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0