Ignoring Signals, Cargo Train Hits Passenger Train In East India Kills 8 People

Railway Illustrations in Indonesia (Photo: DOK ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The cargo train crashed into a passenger train in the state of West Bengal in eastern India today and killed at least eight people and injured several others. State Minister Mamata Banerjee was quoted from her page X as saying doctors, disaster response teams, and ambulances were at the crash site and carried out rescues. The accident occurred in the Darjeeling district, a tourist spot located at the foot of the Himalayan hill. "Three of the eight victims who died were train personnel," said Sabyasachi De, spokesman for the Northeast Border Railway, quoted from APnews, Monday, July 17. At least 25 people were injured in the collision that occurred near Jalpariguri's New Station. Television channels show footage of one train hitting the other end of the train, with one compartment lifted vertically in the air. Many people gathered as rescue teams searched the crash site. "The cargo train driver ignored the signal, causing a collision," said De. Four compartments at the back of the passenger train skidded due to the impact. Most of the carriages carry cargo while one of them is the passenger carriage. Kanchapanka Express is a daily train that connects West Bengal states with other cities in the northeast. This is often used by tourists traveling to the Darjeeling hill station, which is popular today when other Indian cities are hot in the sun. More than 12 million people drive 14,000 trains across India daily, taking a 64,000-kilometer (40,000-mile) path. Despite the government's efforts to improve rail safety, several hundred accidents occur every year, most of which are caused by human error or outdated signaling equipment.

Last year, a train accident in eastern India killed more than 280 people in one of the country's deadliest accidents in decades.