At Least 60 Dead after India Rail Crash

On Monday, a train crash in India and killed at least 60 people and injured more than 100 others. This happened when a speeding train hit a stationary train at the Sainthia station, which caused the roof of one of the wrecked carriages to fly into a bridge above the station. Emergency rescue crews had to use gas-powered tools in order to free trapped travelers.

The death toll of 60 was made public by railway authorities in the late afternoon of Monday, but there could have been more deaths announced later. The number of injured may also be more. India railway minister Mamata Banerjee said that they would give Rs 500,000 (US$10,575) to every dead victim’s family and employment to one family member, as well as Rs 100,000 (US$2,115) to every person that was seriously injured and Rs 25,000 to those with minor injuries.

According to Anil Saxena, a railway spokesman, authorities are investigating what caused the collision. So far there have been reports that they blame human error for the crash. Vivek Sahay, the Railway Board Chairman, claims that the driver of the speeding express train didn’t apply the brakes. He added that human error could have been the cause, as there was no effort made by the driver to stop the train.

However, Banerjee says that she is suspicious about what caused the accident. They have some doubt, as this isn’t a casual thing, she continued. They will take strong steps against those that are behind this, she added but didn’t elaborate.

This comes after India’s rail network recorded at least 100 train incidents during the 2009-10 fiscal year. This was at least less than the 115 crashes in 2008-09.