Train Accident in India: 67 Dead

Two passenger trains in India were derailed in separate incidents Sunday, leaving at least 67 people dead and about 200 others injured. All of the fatalities occurred in a derailment in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Rescuers were searching Monday for more survivors in the wreckage of the Kalka Mail train that jumped the track en route to New Delhi. More than 100 were injured. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. Hours later on Sunday, a second train derailed in the northeastern state of Assam, injuring 100 people. No fatalities have been reported. Local police suspect a remote-controlled bomb planted by a militant group caused four coaches of the Guwahati-Puri express train to be thrown off the tracks. On Thursday, at least 35 people died at a railway crossing in Uttar Pradesh when a train rammed into a bus returning from a wedding. India's railway network is one of the largest in the world, carrying about 14 million passengers each day. Accidents are common, with most blamed on poor maintenance and human error. The 'Kalka Mail," one of India's longest-running trains, derailed on Sunday near the town of Malwa, killing at least 63 people and injuring more than 250 others. Rescue teams reportedly took two hours to reach the site, and an investigation has been promised. The government has also promised $11,000 worth of compensation to the victims of the accident. The derailment was part of a series of railway incidents; on Thursday, a bus collided with a train, and separately on Sunday, a bombing caused a train in the eastern state of Assam to derail, injuring at least 50. (VOA News)