30 Confirmed Dead, Over 50 Injured As Train Derails

Emmanuel Tornyi 11:02 - 20 March 2015

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Thirty people have died and over 50 were injured as two coaches trains derailed.

Thirty people have died and over 50 were injured as two coaches of the Dehradun-Varanasi Janta Express derailed in Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli district.

The accident took place around 9.30 on Friday morning as the train was coming to a stop at the Bachhrawan railway station - 30 km from Rae Bareli.

It was likely that there was a brake failure, news agency ANI quoted railway sources as saying. The engine overshot the signal, two compartments were derailed.

One of the coaches, which was a general compartment, has been crushed by the impact -- the rescue work took around 6 hours. The other was a guard compartment which is likely to have been vacant. If not for the vacant coach, the number of casualties would have been higher, officials told NDTV.

In a series of tweets, Railway Minister Suresh Parbhu said Railways has been prioritising safety as a "thrust area". An inquiry has been ordered into the incident, he also said.