Train Derails In India, Killing 30 And Injuring At Least 50 People
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NEW DELHI, March 20 (UPI) — A train derailment in northern India has killed at least 30 people and injured dozens of others on Friday.
BBC reported an investigation into the causes of the fatal train accident is under way, but the latest crash in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh follows a series of similar accidents in India in recent times.
Locals and law enforcement attempted to rescue the passengers after the train derailed between Dehradun and Varanasi near Bachhrawan village in northern India.
Voice of America reported at least 50 people were injured as a result of the accident, when an engine and two carriages slipped from the rails.
Safety has been lax on India’s railways although it is an important channel of transportation for the country. The BBC reported the network operates 12,000 passenger trains that carry approximately 23 million passengers daily.
Years of deterioration and a lack of investment into replacing decaying tracks and signs have led to an alarming trend of train crashes. Subsidized fares to make train rides more affordable for ordinary Indians have also contributed to the fraying of infrastructure, the BBC reported. In February 11 people died in the southern state of Karnataka after another train derailment involving three coaches on the Bangalore-Ernakulam Intercity Express.
India said it plans to invest $137 billion in the decaying railway. Over the next five years, it hopes to modernize the network.
