LUCKNOW, India // An express train slammed into a parked freight train in northern India on Monday, killing at least 40 people and reducing cars to a heap of torn and twisted metal, officials said.
The Gorakhpur Express passenger train was travelling at high speed and slammed on its brakes in an attempt to stop, but ploughed into the train sitting on the tracks near a railway station in Uttar Pradesh state, district magistrate Bharat Lal said.
Six of the cars on the express train derailed, with one car for unreserved general seating taking the brunt of the effect and containing most of the 40 casualties so far counted, senior police officer Amrendra Sainger said.
“It has been reduced to a mangled iron mesh,” he said. “We do not know as how many people were there.” While the car seats 72, such trains are often filled beyond capacity.
Villagers were the first to reach the scene after the accident about 10 kilometres from the nearest road. Indian TV broadcast images of them assisting the injured amid piles of strewn luggage. “I was working in the field when I heard the whistle of the engine, and suddenly I heard the sound of crash. It was a terrible sound. it still reverberates in my ears,” villager Ram Chander Chaudhry told news channel Samachar Plus. “Within minutes I reached there and saw the train has been derailed.”
Most of the victims had been poor farm workers returning to their homes from the neighbouring state of Haryana, local police official Zameer Ahmad said. The passenger train had left from Haryana’s town of Hissar and was just 46 kilometres from its final destination of Gorakhpur when the accident happened.
Because of the remote location, “it was difficult to start rescue operations immediately”, Mr Ahmad said. “By the time police and rail officials reached the spot, villagers and other passengers had moved the injured away.”
Authorities were searching for the station master, who disappeared after the accident in Sant Kabir Nagar, about 220 kilometres south-east of the state capital, Lucknow. But authorities said it was too early to say what had gone wrong, and they were investigating everything from mechanical failure to human error.
Rescuers worked to free people trapped under toppled cars and debris. The express train’s driver died later on Monday from serious injuries, while the assistant driver was in critical condition, railway official Alok Kumar said.
Trains were diverted to other tracks to avoid the wreckage.
Narendra Modi, who was sworn in on Monday as India’s new prime minister, expressed condolences to the families of the dead in a message on Twitter. “Prayers with the injured,” he said.
Accidents are common on India’s railway network, one of the world’s largest with 20 million people riding daily on about 11,000 passenger trains. Most accidents are blamed on poor maintenance and human error.
Earlier this month, a train crashed into a jeep at an unmanned railway crossing in Uttar Pradesh, killing 13 members of a wedding party. Four days earlier, a passenger train derailed, killing at least 19 people just south of Mumbai. Another train derailment last month left dozens injured in the north-eastern state of Assam.
* Associated Press
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
88 Video's most popular rentals
Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.
Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.
Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
1.
|
United States
|
2.
|
China
|
3.
|
UAE
|
4.
|
Japan
|
5
|
Norway
|
6.
|
Canada
|
7.
|
Singapore
|
8.
|
Australia
|
9.
|
Saudi Arabia
|
10.
|
South Korea
|
Frida%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECarla%20Gutierrez%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Frida%20Kahlo%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
The Farewell
Director: Lulu Wang
Stars: Awkwafina, Zhao Shuzhen, Diana Lin, Tzi Ma
Four stars
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
IF YOU GO
The flights: FlyDubai offers direct flights to Catania Airport from Dubai International Terminal 2 daily with return fares starting from Dh1,895.
The details: Access to the 2,900-metre elevation point at Mount Etna by cable car and 4x4 transport vehicle cost around €57.50 (Dh248) per adult. Entry into Teatro Greco costs €10 (Dh43). For more go to www.visitsicily.info
Where to stay: Hilton Giardini Naxos offers beachfront access and accessible to Taormina and Mount Etna. Rooms start from around €130 (Dh561) per night, including taxes.