Indian train crash leaves dozens dead

Train hits bus returning from wedding party at railway crossing in Uttar Pradesh, killing at least 35 and injuring dozens A train hit a bus at a railway crossing in northern India, killing at least 35 people returning from a wedding party, an official said. At least 39 others were injured early on Thursday when the train dragged the mangled bus more than 1,600 feet (500m) before coming to a halt, according to local administrator Selva Kumar. The bus, which was packed with about 80 people, had stopped at the unmanned crossing after its axle broke and was then hit by the speeding train, she said. The bride and the groom were travelling in a separate vehicle and were not among the victims, Kumar said. No passengers on the train were hurt. Two men sitting on top of the bus escaped when they jumped off seconds before the train crashed into the bus, said Shobharan Singh, a government official at the site. The accident happened near Kanshiramnagar, a village 220 miles (350km) south-west of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state. Local villagers and passengers from the train rushed to the bus to pull out the injured, who were taken to a nearby hospital, Singh said. “It appears the conductor was driving the bus, as his body has been found in the driver’s seat,” Singh said. Train accidents are a common occurrence in India. The country’s railroad network is one of the world’s largest and carries more than 14 million passengers each day. Most accidents are blamed on poor maintenance and human error. India guardian.co.uk

Posted by on July 7, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.