At least 50 feared dead after train runs over crowd

A passenger train travelling at high speed mows down a crowd of people seated on tracks in Amritsar on Friday during Dusshera festival and at least 50 were feared killed.

Police said that the people were sitting on and near the tracks on the outskirts of Amritsar watching the burning of effigies as part of the Dussehra festival when a passenger train ran over them.

At least 60 people were admitted to hospital with injuries, the police officer in the control room said, after what he called a “freak accident” given that people did not hear the train approaching amid the din of fireworks.

The chief minister of the Indian state Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh postponed his Israel tour and said he was rushing to Amritsar to personally supervise relief and rescue operations.

Punjab government has also ordered an enquiry as to why this incident has taken place. Chief Minister has announced Rs 5 lakh ex gratia for the kin of each deceased and free medical treatment to injured persons, who are undergoing treatment in government and private hospitals.

A witness told local media that relatives of some of the deceased were picking up dead bodies by themselves and no proper rescue operations were currently on. Bodies of victims lay strewn around the scene and local television stations showed distraught and angry people.l.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was extremely saddened by the train accident.

Modi tweeted on his social media handler: “The tragedy is heart-wrenching,”. “My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required.”

India’s state railways, largely built during colonial rule, have an appalling safety record after decades of underinvestment in rail safety infrastructure, as the priority has remained more on keeping fares low for the 23 million passengers who use the network daily.

A derailment in August 2017, which killed 23 people, was the fourth major accident within the span of a year on the world’s fourth biggest rail network.