At least 24 people were killed late on Tuesday when two passenger trains jumped off damaged tracks on a bridge near a rain-swollen river in central India, officials said Wednesday.
The Kamayani Express was on its way to Mumbai when it derailed late Tuesday night near the town of Harda in Madhya Pradesh state, while the Janata Express was traveling in the opposite direction when it slid off the tracks soon after, sending two coaches hurling through mud before coming to rest on one side at an embankment.
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The trains were crossing a small bridge just after flash floods caused part of the track to sink into the rain-soaked ground, said A.K. Mittal, a senior Indian railway officer. Television footage showed some train cars fallen on one side and others leaning in the mud. Tracks were broken, uprooted and scattered, and one train wheel had detached.
Ten members of one family died in the accident, reported the Times of India.
Indian broadcaster ND-TV reported that locals who lived near the accident site played a major role in the rescue efforts, as the emergency service response was delayed due to heavy rain causing flooding and damaging main roads.
The Indian government has dispatched 35 members from its National Disaster Response Force or NRDF to help with the rescue effort, said ND-TV, as divers use gas cutters to free passengers trapped inside the train carriages. More than 300 passengers have been rescued, according to India’s Junior Home Minister Kiren Rijiju.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences, saying he was “deeply pained” by the loss of life.
India has one of the world’s largest railway networks and carries more than 23 million passengers each day. However, many parts of the vast network are poorly maintained and accidents are common. Earlier this year, Modi’s government announced plans for a $137 billion overhaul of the railway’s crumbling infrastructure over the next five years.
While many trains are called express, they rarely travel faster than 30 miles an hour. The extensive train network remains the main means of transportation for people and goods.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
