Train accident in Madhya Pradesh

Train accident in Madhya Pradesh: 15 dead, 40 injured.

At least 15 people are feared dead and 40 others are injured after the Gwalior Intercity Express was hit by a goods train at Badarwaas in Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh. The number of dead could rise.

A rescue team has been sent to the spot, Rajkumar Pathak, District Magistrate of Shivpuri said. Pathak said four bodies had been recovered from the wreckage of the last three coaches of the passenger train. Three more bodies were being extricated using cutters. He said at least 18 people had been injured and had been shifted out for medical treatment.

The passenger train, from Indore to Gwalior, was reportedly stationary at the station when the goods train hit it from behind. Three coaches of the Intercity Express piled up on top of each other with the impact.

The accident happened at 5 am today. Visibility in the area is very low as it is raining heavily. Rescue operations have also been delayed as roads in the area are in poor condition and the nearest hospital is 55 km away.

Early reports said it appeared to be a case of negligence as the two trains were on the same track. An investigation will reveal whether there was a signal failure.

No top administrative officers have reached the spot yet. Badarwaas is a small station with very few resources for rescue operations but the people of the town have reacted fast, reaching the spot soon after the accident.

A passenger, Rajesh Mangal, called NDTV in Gwalior to inform about the collision and said the situation was grim. He said local doctors had reached the spot.

The Gwalior Intercity was at the station when the goods train collided with it. I was in the train. Two coaches were badly damaged...It was too dark, rescue efforts were delayed. Local people helped," Mangal said.

PTI adds: Relief trains from neighbouring Guna and Bina towns have been rushed to the spot. Senior Railway Board officials have also rushed to the site of the accident.

Helpline numbers:

Badarwaas: 07495245233/9752417560

Guna: 07542253799/07542254778

Shivpuri: 07492234407/9752417562

Despite precautions being taken, there has been a spate in train accidents over the last few months:

17 August 2010 - Four people were killed in a train accident in Faizabad

19 July 2010 - 63 dead, more than 165 injured in Sainthia in West Bengal

18 June 2010 - At least 27 persons were injured, two of them critically, when the Amaravati Express derailed near Koppal after ramming into a road-roller