Train accident leaves 24 dead in India

Emergency workers continue to look for survivors, as 300 passengers have been rescued, but it is not clear how many people were on board. A former railway minister said if the tracks had been maintained, the latest accident could have been avoided.

Rescue work is going on at the accident spot. “We are checking all carriages to look for trapped passengers”, said ministry spokesman Anil Saxena.

“The mud from under the tracks was washed away and the tracks were left in the air”, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told the NDTV network at the scene.

An official said there had been flash floods in the region and claimed that the tracks had collapsed after being submerged by monsoon rains.

Rejecting allegations about railway’s fault, Prabhu said he was waiting for the investigation report. 2 lakh for the next of kin of those who died in the Madhya Pradesh train accident, an official statement said.

A live blog from the Times of India reported Wednesday morning that the derailment may have been caused by a flash flood that swept against the train, flooding the insides up to the chests of some passengers. “Deeply pained over the loss of lives”.

“The entire area has been reeling under heavy rainfall for the last few days”.

India has one of the world’s largest railway networks and carries more than 23 million passengers each day. The extensive train network remains the main means of transportation for people and goods. Earlier this year, Modi’s government had announced plans for a $137 billion overhaul of the railway’s crumbling infrastructure over the next five years.