One Dead, Seven Injured in India Passenger Train Derailment

AFP/APP

New Delhi: A tragic incident occurred on Thursday when the Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express, a 22-car passenger train spanning 2,640 kilometers, derailed near the northern city of Ayodhya in India.

The accident, which occurred around 2:30 pm (0900 GMT), resulted in the overturning of several carriages, claiming the life of one person and leaving seven others injured.

Indian Railways spokesman Pankaj Singh informed reporters, “According to preliminary information from the site, one fatality has been reported, with six persons sustaining minor injuries and one grievously injured.”

Footage broadcast by NDTV depicted overturned compartments with passengers standing atop one of the derailed cars that had toppled onto its side. 

Uttar Pradesh state chief minister Yogi Adityanath expressed sorrow over the incident, stating, “The train accident in Gonda district is extremely sad,” and directed district officials to expedite relief and rescue efforts and ensure the injured receive medical attention promptly.

Anil Kumar Tiwari, chief medical superintendent of Gonda District Hospital, confirmed that medical teams had been swiftly dispatched to the accident site.

Despite ongoing efforts to modernize India’s railway infrastructure through a $30 billion initiative aimed at enhancing economic growth and connectivity, the country’s rail network continues to grapple with safety challenges. 

Antiquated systems and infrastructure deficiencies contribute to occasional deadly accidents, despite a reduction in such incidents in recent years.

Last year, nearly 300 lives were lost in a major rail accident involving multiple collisions. The most devastating railway disaster in India’s history dates back to 1981, when a cyclone caused a train to derail into a river in Bihar, resulting in over 800 fatalities.

Indian Railways, operating the world’s fourth-largest rail network with approximately 14,000 daily trains and serving more than 21 million passengers daily, remains integral to the country’s transportation landscape.