speeding passenger train crashed into another

Hanoi (VNA) – A speeding passenger train crashed into another waiting at a station
in eastern India early on July 19, killing at least 60 people in India’s second
major accident in as many months, officials said.

At least 100 people were injured in the crash, which occurred in the state on
West Bengal in the early hours of the morning. In May, a train sabotage blamed on
leftist rebels killed 145 people. The leftists denied the charge.

The train crash in India was caused by negligence, not sabotage, West Bengal
Civil Defence Minister Srikumar Myukherjee was quoted by Reuters as saying.

“It’s not an act of sabotage. The tragic accident took place because of the
negligence on the part of the railway administration,” Mukherijee said from
the site of the accident in eastern India .

The accident occurred when the Uttar Banga Express rammed into the stationary
Vananchal Express at Sainthia in West Bengal , said Saumitra Mohan, the area’s
district magistrate.

“The death toll has gone up to 60”, Samir Goswami a railway spokesman, said.
“It looks like this is the final toll. There are also several seriously injured
(people) undergoing treatment in hospitals.
The impact of the crash saw several coaches thrown upwards in a mangled heap.
Thousands of people milled around the accident site. Some helped in rescue
operations.

Television images showed rescue workers cutting through the wreckage to pull out
survivors. Some passengers were seen climbing out of emergency exit windows.
“It was dark, may be around 2:15 am, and people were crying for help. One
coach was flung onto an over-bridge under the impact,” said Sandip Kumar
Mondal, among the earliest to reach the spot and rescue some people.

With a 63,327 km, network, the railways play a key role, transporting more than 18
million passengers and more than 2 million tonnes of freight daily.-Enditem




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