At least 26 people were killed and more than 150 injured in India when nearly a dozen coaches of a passenger train were derailed, officials said yesterday.
The incident occurred in Uttar Pradesh state when the driver of the train applied emergency brakes, said AK Jain, additional director general of the railway police, adding he feared the death toll would go up.
In a separate rail incident, about 50 passengers were injured after four coaches of a train got derailed in the state of Assam. State police and railway authorities said an explosion on the track led to the derailment, and inquiries were ongoing.
On July 7th, at least 31 people were killed when a train rammed into a bus driving over a level crossing without a gate or attendant. Government data showed 336 people were killed and 437 injured in rail incidents between April 2010 and mid-January last. State-run monopoly Indian Railways has a patchy safety record due to ageing infrastructure.