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Rail accident

July 11, 2011

Rescue workers continued to search for survivors on Monday after an express train derailed in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The Delhi-bound train was carrying over 1,000 passengers.

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Villagers, rescue workers and soldiers joined in the relief operations
Villagers, rescue workers and soldiers joined in the relief operationsImage: dapd

The train was travelling at a speed of over 108 kilometers per hour when 13 coaches ran off the rails on Sunday. The express train was making its way from Kolkata to the Indian capital on one of the country’s busiest rail routes.

Passengers smashed windows to get out of the train and jump onto the track. Some 350 people were taken to nearby hospitals, with injuries ranging from fractures to cuts. Some had had limbs amputated in the accident. Doctors at the main district hospital said 35 people were in a "serious" condition.

Villagers came in hundreds to help with the relief efforts. Rescue workers used blowtorches to cut open the wreckage to pull out survivors. Indian army personnel also joined in to help and military helicopters and air ambulances were deployed.

It was not immediately clear what had caused the accident but rail officials said it occurred after the driver applied the emergency brakes. A probe has been ordered.

Some 30 million people travel with Indian Railways every day but accidents are not uncommon. There were at least 19 rail accidents last year and there have been five so far in 2011.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has expressed "deep sorrow" and shock over the accident.

Author: Anne Thomas (Reuters/dpa)
Editor: Manasi Gopalakrishnan