Politics
15:27, 20-Aug-2017
India investigates fourth big train crash
["other","India"]
Share
Copied
India began investigating on Sunday into a train crash that killed 23 people, the fourth major accident over the past year on the world's fourth-biggest rail network which is grappling with chronic underinvestment and overcrowding.
The cause of the derailment about 130 km (80 miles) north of the capital New Delhi, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, was not known, said Northern Railways spokesman Neeraj Sharma.
Local residents gather next to train carriages after an express train derailed near the town of Khatauli in the Indian state of Uttar Prades, August 19, 2017. /AFP Photo
Local residents gather next to train carriages after an express train derailed near the town of Khatauli in the Indian state of Uttar Prades, August 19, 2017. /AFP Photo
Thirteen coaches of the train came off the tracks as it was heading to the Hindu holy city of Haridwar, police said.
The death toll rose to 23, with at least 123 people injured.
Sharma said rescue operations had ended and a safety commissioner would launch an investigation later on Sunday. The driver of the train would be one of the first people to be questioned, Sharma said. He said the death toll could rise.
A senior official in the Uttar Pradesh government, Arvind Kumar, told Hindustan Times the train driver had slammed on the brakes after spotting maintenance work on the tracks that had not been properly signaled.
"It is too early to say what was the cause," Sharma said when asked about the report.
Train crashes are all too common in India after decades of poor investment and rising demand, which usually means packed trains are running on creaking infrastructure.
Saturday's accident is at least the fourth major accident this year and the third in Uttar Pradesh in 2017.
A crash in November in Uttar Pradesh killed 150 people.
Source(s): Reuters