A tragic incident unfolded on Thursday in northern India as a passenger train derailed, resulting in the loss of at least two lives and leaving 20 individuals injured. The cause of the accident is currently under investigation.
State relief commissioner, Naveen Kumar, reported that a swift response team comprising numerous rescuers, a 40-member medical unit, and 15 ambulances promptly arrived at the accident site. The injured passengers have been swiftly transported to nearby hospitals and government health facilities for treatment and care.
The ill-fated train was en route to Dibrugarh, a town in northeastern Assam state, from Chandigarh in the north when the derailment occurred near Gonda. The incident caused six coaches to derail, with two overturning in the process. Gonda is situated approximately 120 kilometers (70 miles) northeast of Lucknow, the state capital.
Television footage captured the distressing scene of numerous passengers standing beside the derailed coaches, awaiting assistance from the rescue teams.
This unfortunate event comes on the heels of a recent train collision in West Bengal, where a cargo train collided with a passenger train, resulting in nine fatalities and numerous injuries. Investigations revealed that the cargo train's driver, who was among the deceased, had ignored a signal, leading to the tragic accident.
Tragically, last year, eastern India witnessed a devastating train crash that claimed the lives of over 280 individuals, marking one of the deadliest rail accidents in the country in decades.
India's extensive railway network serves over 12 million passengers daily, with 14,000 trains traversing 64,000 kilometers (40,000 miles) of track. Despite ongoing governmental initiatives to enhance rail safety, the country continues to grapple with several hundred accidents annually, often attributed to human error or outdated signaling infrastructure.
