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At least 50 dead in India train disaster: police
AMRITSAR, India, Oct 19, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – At least 50 people were killed Friday after a train plowed
into revellers celebrating a Hindu festival in northern India, police said, the latest major
accident on the country’s crumbling rail network.
A crowd had gathered on railway tracks in the city of Amritsar in Punjab state to watch a fireworks
show marking the Dussehra festival when the train barrelled down the line at speed.
“There are more than 50 dead. The priority now is to take the injured to the hospital,” Amritsar
city police commissioner S. S. Srivastava told reporters.
More than 60 people who were injured were being given emergency treatment at various hospitals
across the city, he added.
An AFP photographer at the scene said some victims had lost limbs in the accident while others
suffered head wounds.
“There was a lot of noise as firecrackers were being let off and it appears they (victims) were
unable to hear the approaching train,” a police official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
An eyewitness told a local TV channel there was “utter commotion” when the crowds noticed the train
“coming very fast” towards them.
“Everyone was running helter-skelter and suddenly the train crashed into the crowds of people,” he
said.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh ordered an investigation into the deadly accident and
announced a monetary compensation of 500,000 rupees ($6800) each to the family of the victims.
“We have reports that some 50-60 people have died. We have asked all hospitals to remain open
through the night so that the injured can be treated,” Singh told reporters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was extremely saddened by the “heart-wrenching tragedy” and
asked officials to provide immediate assistance to the injured.
Some relatives of the deceased blamed the authorities for allowing a “big function” to be held next
to the railway track.
An eyewitness said people were taking pictures on their mobile phones and “they were not given any
warning that they should not stand on the tracks.”
– ‘Massacre’ –
India’s railway network is the world’s fourth largest and remains the main form of travel in the
vast country, but it is poorly funded and deadly accidents often occur.
The country is home to hundreds of railway crossings that are unmanned and particularly accident
prone, with people often ignoring oncoming train warnings.
A 2012 government report described the loss of 15,000 passengers to rail accidents every year in
India as a “massacre”.
Premier Modi has pledged $137 billion over five years to modernise the crumbling network.
Railway minister Piyush Goyal said Friday he was cancelling his trip to the US and returning to
India immediately.
“May God give strength to the bereaved and injured,” Goyal tweeted.
“Railways is providing all possible assistance at the site.”
Millions of Hindus celebrate the Dussehra festival with the burning of giant effigies, symbolising
the triumph of good over evil.
BSS/AFP/MRU/2313hrs