Over 120 dead, 200 injured after passenger train derails in India
- 7 years ago
KANPUR, INDIA — Over a hundred people were killed, and many more injured in one of India’s worst train disasters in recent years.
The Times of India reports that the incident occurred early Sunday morning, when an overnight passenger train from Indore to Patna suddenly derailed in Pukhrayan, near the city of Kanpur.
The event took place at approximately 3 a.m., when most of the 500 passengers were asleep. A suspected rail fracture caused the train to jump off the tracks. People inside were jolted awake and reportedly violently flung around as the cars began to topple over.
Two sleeper cars also reportedly telescoped into each other and trapped those inside.
A total of 14 carriages were derailed, killing at least 120 people and injuring 200.
Rescuers have had difficulty cutting through the metal compartments. By Sunday afternoon, they were using heavy machinery to get survivors out.
India’s railway system is the fourth largest in the world, but it is also reportedly one of the most unsafe, with thousands dying in accidents, collisions, and derailments each year, according to Reuters.
The Times of India reports that the incident occurred early Sunday morning, when an overnight passenger train from Indore to Patna suddenly derailed in Pukhrayan, near the city of Kanpur.
The event took place at approximately 3 a.m., when most of the 500 passengers were asleep. A suspected rail fracture caused the train to jump off the tracks. People inside were jolted awake and reportedly violently flung around as the cars began to topple over.
Two sleeper cars also reportedly telescoped into each other and trapped those inside.
A total of 14 carriages were derailed, killing at least 120 people and injuring 200.
Rescuers have had difficulty cutting through the metal compartments. By Sunday afternoon, they were using heavy machinery to get survivors out.
India’s railway system is the fourth largest in the world, but it is also reportedly one of the most unsafe, with thousands dying in accidents, collisions, and derailments each year, according to Reuters.