21 Sep 2010

Train crash in India claims 21, injures 50

5:37 pm on 21 September 2010

At least 21 people were killed and 50 injured when a passenger train crashed into a goods train in India, in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.

The collision took place when a goods train crashed into a passenger train waiting at the Bhaderwah railway station in Shivpuri district.

Railway officials said the accident occurred early on Monday when it was raining heavily. Four coaches were damaged.

The BBC reports the cause of the crash is not known.

An investigation has been ordered to determine how both trains ended up in the same track.

The BBC reports accidents are common on the Indian railway network, which operates 9000 passenger trains and carries 18 million passengers every day.

Other recent incidents

In July, a train crash in eastern India killed at least 60 people and injured another 120.

A speeding passenger express hit another train waiting at a station in the town of Sainthia, West Bengal state.

In May, nearly 150 people died when a Bombay-bound passenger train derailed and was hit by a goods train in West Bengal.